, and disconnecting the internet during the next attempt to prevent automatic (and often broken) update checks. learn.microsoft.com 2. Working with the Executable (Preparation.exe)
4.1. Official Offline Layout
If you are a student or hobbyist: The solutions above will successfully unblock most repacks, specifically (replace preparation.exe with the genuine file). But always run these repacks in an isolated virtual machine or on a non-production PC.
Re-run your Visual Studio 2013 installer as an Administrator. The preparation stage should now complete in seconds rather than hours. Safer Alternatives to Third-Party Repacks preparationexe visual studio 2013 repack
Creating a repack typically involves preparing a layout folder and then using the tool to "prep" that folder for distribution.
Using a re-pack of Preparation.exe can pose risks and concerns, including:
4.4. Application Virtualization and Containers , and disconnecting the internet during the next
Visual Studio 2013 remains a staple for developers maintaining legacy codebases, but deploying it efficiently across multiple machines can be challenging. This guide explains how to use (often referred to as Prepare.exe ) to create a "repack"—a customized, streamlined installation package tailored for enterprise or personal use. What is Preparation.exe?
Repackaging Visual Studio 2013 into a PreparationExe can simplify deployments and enforce consistency but must be done carefully to avoid licensing, servicing, and support issues. Prefer using Microsoft-supported offline layouts, automate builds and manifests, sign artifacts, and validate installations across representative platforms.
When bundled into a modified or custom configuration script, it typically fulfills four distinct functions: Official Offline Layout If you are a student
A common source of errors during the preparation phase is corrupted installation files. If you are using an ISO or DVD that was burned from a corrupted download, the installer may fail during the preparation phase. In such cases, the installer may throw errors indicating that it cannot find preparation.exe or other critical packages like Windows6.1-KB2999226-x64.msu . Attempting to skip preparation.exe often leads to cascading errors for other packages, as the installer's dependency chain is broken.
When you see "Microsoft Visual Studio Preparation" running, the installer is typically executing devenv /setup . This command: Stack Overflow Registers essential packages and templates. Initializes the IDE's configuration.