: Ensure all active repositories are committed and pushed to remote servers.

: Right-click the .exe and select Run as Administrator to ensure it has permission to modify system registries and folders.

Here’s a blog post designed to help developers handle the specific (and slightly vintage) challenge of using the visual studio 2012 update 5 preparation.exe Dealing with "Visual Studio 2012 Update 5 Preparation.exe"

A call to action If you find "visual studio 2012 update 5 preparation.exe" on a machine you maintain, treat it as an opportunity rather than just a nuisance:

After the full Update 5 installer completes, reboot your system even if not prompted. Many VC++ libraries and .NET framework updates require a clean boot to function correctly.

Attempting to install Update 5 directly on a modern machine or a heavily patched older machine frequently results in installation failures. This tool addresses several underlying issues:

: The "preparation" phase can sometimes look like it's hanging. It is often scanning deep into the C:\Windows\Installer directory. Offline Installers