How do I compile for Windows XP with Visual Studio 2012?

VC++ 2012 RTM did not support Windows XP – that support came later in 2012 in Visual Studio 2012 Update 1.

The CTP of Windows XP targeting with VC++ 2012 could be installed, but you would have to link the CRT statically in order to deploy. See this blog article for more information.

Visual Studio 2012 Update 1 added official support for running applications built with VC++ 2012 on Windows XP as well as the ability to link the CRT dynamically.

• Download link
• Blog article containing additional information

Two things should be done:

• Configuration Properties → General page, change Platform Toolset to: Visual Studio 2012 - Windows XP (v110_xp);

• Menu Linker → System. Change Subsystem to: Console/Windows.

A detailed explanation is here: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/linking-applications-using-visual-studio-2012-to-run-on-windows-xp