“Unspecified error” in Visual Studio 2008 when trying to view project properties

Question

When I set my active solution from Win32 to x64, I cannot build the project or view the properties.

When I try to build my project, it is skipped.

When I try

Answer 1

VS 2008 Pro doesn't install the 64-bit compiler and tools by default. You have to explicitly select them during the installation.

Control Panel -> Uninstall Programs. Select Visual Studio and click Uninstall/Change. Wait. Wait some more. Click Next. Choose Add or Remove Features. Expand MSVC 2008 -> Language Tools -> Visual C++. Select X64 Compilers and Tools. You'll probably need your original installation media.

Once the 64-bit compiler and tools are installed, you should be able to add a 64-bit configuration to your solution