Cannot install any version of Visual Studio

Hello Mike,

There may be a corrupted installation state or leftover files from a previous uninstall that are interfering with the new setup process.

I recommend you follow these steps (in order) to clean up your system:

Step 1: Run the official Visual Studio cleanup tool

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator. You can do this by searching for cmd in the start menu, right-clicking it, and selecting "Run as administrator".
2. Navigate to the directory where the Visual Studio installer is located and run the cleanup tool. Copy and paste the following command and press enter:

       "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\vs_installcleanup.exe" -f
   

   Note: The -f flag forces the tool to run even if no installation is detected, which is important in your case. This process may take several minutes.

Step 2: Manually delete residual folders

After the cleanup tool finishes, manually delete any remaining folders to ensure a completely clean state.

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the following locations. If you see a VisualStudio folder in any of them, delete it.
   • %ProgramData%\Microsoft\
   • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\
   • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\
2. Reboot your computer.

Step 3: Download a fresh installer and reinstall

Now that your system is clean, you can attempt the installation again.

1. Download a fresh copy of the Visual Studio installer directly from the Visual Studio website.
2. Right-click the downloaded installer file and select Run as administrator.
3. Proceed with the installation as usual.

About your other questions:

Should I try to install from a disk?

Visual Studio is now primarily distributed via digital download. Installing from a disk would not bypass the underlying issue, as the problem is with corrupted files on your system, not the installer itself.

SQL Server 2022 is already installed.

Your SQL Server installation is separate and should not interfere with the Visual Studio installation process. You can safely leave it as is.

I hope this helps.

I suggest you could try to remove all Visual Studio installation files with InstallCleanup.exe. And then rerun the Visual Studio Installer bootstrapper to reinstall Visual Studio.

Refer to the steps: Remove all Visual Studio installation files

If you still cannot install the Visual Studio, I suggest you could try to use the Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter to help you automatically repair issues when you're blocked from installing or removing programs.