Proper Install Order For Visual Studio 2010 with SQL Server 2008 and Office 2007?

Question

I want to create a Windows 7 64-bit (Ultimate) virtual machine with:

• Visual Studio 2010 (Ultimate)
• Office 2007 Enterprise (with Visio 2007)
• SQL Server 2008 (with SSIS and SSRS)

but I am not sure if there is a correct order to install those items such that there will not be a loss of "awareness" of one application from another on that list?

For example, I want to make sure Visual Studio knows that Office exists but also that Visual Studio knows that SQL Server exists but if I install SQL Server before Office will that wipe out any data access drivers that are needed by VS 2010 if Office is installed after SQL Server?

There are a lot of components and I never gave it a thought that install order would matter but I have a feeling it does. Ultimately I want to create a VM that I can save and use a base development VM from which to create additional VMs from.

Answer 1

I think that for the mentioned applications there is no correct and wrong order, but if I would install them, I would install with the following order: Office, SQL Server, Visual Studio.

Answer 2

The most logical order of installation would be:

1. Office 2007 Enterprise (with Visio 2007)
2. SQL Server 2008 (with SSIS and SSRS)
3. Visual Studio 2010 (Ultimate)

And from what you're describing this would take care of your worries as well.

Answer 3

I have done that several times over (finished doing another just yesterday) and i have never found it to make a difference. I do tend to do VS first though, simply because the machine is still clean and unpolluted, there is nothing worse than trying to clean out a failed VS install, especially once you have Office on the machine, they have so many similar registry keys that it is next to impossible to clean out VS without breaking Office in the process.

But i also do it that way simply because the OCD makes me :)

Note that technically, neither of those installs depends or even cares about the other.