Modern Visual Studio versions (2019, 2022) include the v100 toolset (Visual Studio 2010 compiler). You can open VS2010 solutions in VS2022 and set the Platform Toolset to v100. This allows you to compile legacy code without installing the full VS2010 IDE.
How to enable v100 toolset:
If you already have an ISO from a backup, verify its integrity using SHA-1 hashes to ensure it hasn't been tampered with. Official MSDN release hashes (Example for English Ultimate): visual studio 2010 sp1 iso
Always cross-reference these hashes on MSDN documentation if accessible.
VS2010 is a 32-bit application and cannot address more than 4GB of RAM. However, you can improve performance: Modern Visual Studio versions (2019, 2022) include the
Recommended virtualization platforms: VMware Workstation Player (free), Oracle VirtualBox, or Microsoft Hyper-V.
Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is a cumulative update for Visual Studio 2010 that improves stability, performance, and includes bug fixes and some feature updates. Microsoft provided SP1 as downloadable installers; some distributions were packaged as ISO files for offline installation or archival use. If you already have an ISO from a
Visual Studio 2010 was the last version that seamlessly supported certain embedded toolchains, Windows CE, and older compilers like the Platform Builder. Newer IDEs dropped support for these aging platforms.
If you are installing this today, the ISO is highly recommended over the small web installer executable.