DVR Remote Desktop Fails To Load

I've been having problems with a program by the name of "DVR Remote Desktop" for Windows XP/Vista/7. This program seems to come with many inexpensive H.264 Security DVR systems.

Lately, I've been having trouble connecting to a remote DVR using DVR Remote Desktop. The program loads fine, but attempts to connect to a DVR fail with various error messages. Three error messages kept appearing:

1. Cannot connect to DVR
2. Failed to initialize application
3. A long error message with Visual C++ in the title window

If you keep seeing the "Cannot connect to DVR" message, your problem may have a simple fix: restart your computer and check your home network to see if your computer connects to it.

If you see all three error messages, there might be an easy fix: installing a Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable fixed all of my issues with DVR Remote Desktop.

Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)

There are a multitude of different redistributable packages out there, all of which are slightly different, but that one worked for me.

This fix worked for me on Windows 7 and Windows 8 (x64).

Occasionally, updates to Windows 8 will 'undo' this fix. Uninstalling and re-installing the redistributable package seems to fix it for me.

If you're running Windows 8 (and possibly 7 or Vista), you will need to install the Redistributable Package as an administrator user. This isn't the same thing as Right Click -> Run as administrator. You need to login as a user with administrator privileges (like the one you created when you first ran your computer) and run the installer.

Advice to Visual C++ Developers

If you're a developer of a publicly available application made with Visual C++, please bundle the redistributable package with your application unless it is impossible for you to do so. It helps eliminate weird compatibility issues like the ones I was having with DVR Remote Desktop.

Edits made to this article:
January 11, 2013 - I've tested this fix for Windows 8 (x64), so I added info for Windows 8 users. I also added a note about internet connectivity - sometimes, the "cannot connect to DVR" message sometimes appears because of an Internet issue.
February 17, 2013 - Added some more info (concerning how to install the 'fix') for Windows 8 (and possibly below) users.