working in Powershell 5.1 - but not in 7.5 - Installs NuGet + VcRedist module, removes selected VC++ versions, and lists installed ones. Ideal for sysadmins automating system cleanups. Tags: PowerShell VcRedist Visual C++ Automation Cleanup

Remove-Redistributables.ps1

<#
.SYNOPSIS
This script configures the PowerShell environment for removing Visual C++ Redistributables.
It installs the NuGet package provider and the VcRedist module, and then removes specific versions of Visual C++ Redistributables.

.DESCRIPTION
The script sets the execution policy to Bypass for the current process, installs NuGet and VcRedist modules, and uninstalls specific versions of Visual C++ Redistributables (2005, 2008, 2010, 2012). It ends by listing all installed Visual C++ Redistributables.

.NOTES
Requires administrative permissions
#>

# Use Try-Catch block for better error handling
try {
    # Bypass the execution policy for the current process
    Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force -ErrorAction Stop

    # Install NuGet package provider
    Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force -ErrorAction Stop
    Write-Host "Nuget Installed" -ForegroundColor White -BackgroundColor Yellow

    # Install VcRedist module
    Install-Module -Name VcRedist -Force -ErrorAction Stop
    Write-Host "VcRedist Installed" -ForegroundColor White -BackgroundColor Blue

    # Import VcRedist module
    Import-Module -Name VcRedist -ErrorAction Stop

    # Uninstall specified releases of Visual C++ Redistributables
    Uninstall-VcRedist -Release 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction Stop
    Write-Host "Specified Visual C++ Redistributables Uninstalled" -ForegroundColor White -BackgroundColor Magenta

    # List all installed Visual C++ Redistributables
    Get-InstalledVcRedist
    
    # Remove the VcRedist module
    Remove-Module -Name VcRedist
    
    # Uninstall the VcRedist module from the system
    Uninstall-Module -Name VcRedist -AllVersions -Force
    Write-Host "VcRedist module removed and uninstalled" -ForegroundColor White -BackgroundColor Green
}

catch {
    # Catch and display the error
    Write-Host "An error occurred: $_" -ForegroundColor Red
    exit 1
}



# End of script

heya, why is nuget installed please? that line doesn't work on my pc but everything else does

nuget is like the app store for Powershell - Try running the script with administrator permissions to see if that works? You may also need to run this too
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force -ErrorAction Stop

Install-PackageProvider: No match was found for the specified search criteria for the provider 'NuGet'. The package provider requires 'PackageManagement' and 'Provider' tags. Please check if the specified package has the tags.

Try
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

still the same 😢

Are you trying to run it with intune or some type of tooling?

i'm running it on my personal pc. no microsoft account. i did debloat it using ctt's debloater.

Hmm, not entirely sure then sorry, maybe some dependencies were stripped out through the process.

no worries, i'm going to re-install windows soon. do you by any chance know how to install all possible versions of VC++?

The purpose of this script is to remove them. I don't know anything about installing them sorry,

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force -ErrorAction Stop

Install-PackageProvider: No match was found for the specified search criteria for the provider 'NuGet'. The package provider requires 'PackageManagement' and 'Provider' tags. Please check if the specified package has the tags.

FYI - I ran into the same error. It turns out this command fails in Powershell 7.5, but works fine in Powershell 5.1

Thanks @matthwiz - good to know.