It is highly likely that this is a specific internal executable name or a misremembered command related to the , which was a specialized utility used to prepare systems for the installation of Visual Studio 2012 by removing older pre-release versions (like Beta or RC) that could cause conflicts. Context and Usage
If you meant – that does not appear in VS2012 docs. There is VSPerfClean.exe in Visual Studio 2013+ to clean profiling settings, but not in VS2012 . If you meant vsexe.exe – not a Microsoft tool; might be a custom or typo for vsinstr.exe or vsperfcmd.exe .
The file VS_PreClean_vs.exe belongs to the suite. Unlike standard uninstallers or general cleanup utilities, it operates as a silent bootstrapper phase execution tool. It is physically located within the installation payload directory, typically found inside the \packages\VS_Clean\ folder of your installation media or extracted ISO. Core Responsibilities vsprecleanvsexe visual studio 2012 exclusive
| Feature / Aspect | vsexe.exe | vsprefixcleanup.exe | |----------------|-------------|----------------------| | | Launch an executable under the profiler | Remove profiler environment variables | | Starts Profiler | Yes | No | | Stops Profiler | Yes (on exit) | No | | Used Standalone | Yes | No (always a helper) | | Effect on Exclusive Mode | May fail if environment is dirty | Prepares environment for exclusive profiling | | Can Fix VSP1001 Errors | No | Yes | | Requires Admin Rights | Often, for exclusive mode | No (user-level cleanup) | | Interaction with .NET | Sets COR_PROFILER | Removes COR_PROFILER |
Обновление для Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 (KB2781514) It is highly likely that this is a
(Advanced Users Only) Manually delete Visual Studio 2012 registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0 . Clear Temporary Files: Clear the %temp% directory. Conclusion
: Invalid entries or leftovers from prior uninstalls can block the tool. Tools like the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility may be needed if a standard uninstall fails. If you meant vsexe
: Checks the health of critical machine prerequisites, such as the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 and Visual C++ 2012 x86/x64 Runtimes . 🛑 Common Errors Linked to the Pre-Clean Tool