PSA: Installing Venus 4.5 on Windows 11 Post-PowerShell 2.0 Deprecation

Hamilton (Venus)
1

Hi Y’all,

I just lost some time getting Venus 4.5.0.5217 up and running on a Windows 11 machine, so I thought a short PSA might be helpful.

In brief, the problem is:

  • Venus 4.5 requires Microsoft SQL Server 2014
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 requires PowerShell 2.0
  • PowerShell 2.0 was deprecated in Windows 11 version 24H2 in August 2025

Hence: if you try to install Venus 4.5 on a current (as of November 2025) Windows 11 PC, it won’t work. There are error messages that point you to part of the solution but I figured I’d sum up the solution here in a few quick steps:

Caveat: I have no sense of the security risks of re-enabling PowerShell 2.0; proceed at your own risk

  1. Download and extract ps2DLC.zip from this Microsoft Support thread. (Backup link for the file here in case Microsoft stops supporting it: ps2DLC.zip)
  2. Open PowerShell as Administrator
  3. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
  4. In PowerShell, navigate to the previously extracted ps2DLC folder
  5. Run .\loadGAC.ps1
  6. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted

Now the SQL Server 2014 installer bundled with Venus 4.5 should work.

8 Likes
Venus 4.5 on Windows 11 - Known Problems?
2

These kinds of posts are so helpful. Thank you for posting, @dibidave . It’s rare that someone finds a solution and writes about it. You’ve saved cumulative hours.

3

My solution was to just install Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Express and point Venus 4.5 to this server. It’s slightly more complicated on the setup, since you’ll need to perform a manual setup/installation of the server, but it’s not as bad as living without an “undo” button on a certain program.

You’ll want to use the Hamilton SQL Server Database Manual Installation v1 1 document as reference.

3 Likes
4

Thanks @gregthelee. I couldn’t re-enable PowerShell 2.0 on my machine and had to go with your solution instead. Works perfectly!

1 Like
5

Just in case anyone needs the “SQL Server Database Manual Installation v1” pdf; Eric posted it in the “Hamilton Guides” found here.

And when you install SQL Server 2019 Express Edition, be sure to choose “Custom”.