No, no, no! The files you inserted are NOT VC12 library files, they just happen to have the same name! They are not redistributable and are NOT guaranteed to work with VC12 apps! You are correct that new versions of actual redistributable files are backward-compatible.
Are you sure? I tested it out with several VC 2012 programs. The programs will load the dll's from the executable location first before the system folders, which is why if you want to use the latest version properly you need to remove these (or replace them manually). This is also how things like SweetFX, Reshade etc work for games. The programs worked perfectly, and I made sure it was using the files in the folder (plus you can't delete them if they're in use). What made you think they aren't desktop (non-APP and non-.NET) VC 12 library files?
What evidence is there that they aren't? The file names match VC 12, the file versions match a known VC 12 release, they are straight from Microsoft, and they work perfectly fine with all the applications I tested it with (it simply wouldn't work if it wasn't). Remember VC 12 is VC 2013, VC 11 is VC 2012 etc, VC 14 is VC 2015. Sure you aren't confusing the versions?
They aren’t VC12 because they aren’t redistributable and don’t come with any known VC12 version. The version number is a red herring.
Actually the last redist had this version number placed on it, but they were the old files. That's why I said REAL, the version number of the files match the last known redistributable. Microsoft don't always just release the latest redists openly on their download site. Many times the proper redistributable .exe could be buried in .msp files inside another update. Furthermore, they may be under a different name just inside the .msp file. It's a bit of a mess really. The WORST aspect of these redists is that there have been security fixes for the runtimes in the past, and fine, these are installed in the system, however if a program just has the loose files in their program folder it will use them instead. Instant security risk!
Let me reiterate: these files come from an unreleased pre-alpha version of VC14 (post-RTM of VC12 if you wish) before they change the version number and may have subtly different behaviors of library functions like printf to the released versions, which can cause unexpected behaviour with actual VC12 programs. If you claim these are real redist files, then prove it— show me their symbols :>
Sorry I would have to disagree with you there. Apart from the version number (which is a known VC12 number) and the filenames, there's the point that it came from a final release Microsoft product. Microsoft would not use pre-alpha runtime files on a RTM release. This is especially true considering the timeline of release, they could have just used the actual VC14 files. Just because it didn't come in a vcredist_(x86/x64).exe file, it doesn't make them invalid.
Had "Minor" Glitch here... after installing latest batch of Updates (1511) WUMT stopped working "Unable to contact server" Internet Explorer, Firefox stopped working “the application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000018)” Yandex OK... So able to find solution that worked/corrected issue for me Spoiler Navigated to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Windows Located APPINIT_DLLS there and deleted the key (Restarted machine... issue gone)
Encountering no problems overhere, installed 7:15 pm and still have to restart (No time for a restart at the moment)