title: How to select against which version of the Visual C++ libraries the application is compiled?
body: <p>I'm using Visual Studio 2008 for C++. When compiling, Visual Studio compiles against the header files of the VC 9.0 libraries. However, there are different versions of this library available: </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>v9.0.21022.8 (= RTM)</li>
  <li>v9.0.30729.17 (= SP1)</li>
  <li>v9.0.30729.4148 (= SP1 with security update)</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I'd like to know whether it is possible to tell Visual Studio which version it should compile against.</p>
  
  <p>The reason I think this is important is because the application's installer needs to make sure that the correct version of the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package is installed. To me it feels like I don't have any control over this dependency, as apparently some Windows Update (<em>not</em> a Visual Studio update) can change this dependency. I'd like to keep using the same version to avoid the overhead of making the installer upgrading the Redistributable Package.</p>
  
  <p><b>Note</b> that this situation is different from my <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2289593/how-to-select-the-version-of-the-vc-2008-dlls-the-application-should-be-linked-to">earlier question</a>, as that one was about link time. Neither am I looking for a way to control the version that is put in the embedded manifest file, as that is explained <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59635/app-does-not-run-with-vs-2008-sp1-dlls-previous-version-works-with-rtm-versions/70808#70808">here</a>.</p>