Trouble installing Unity 5.3.5f1

I've been attempting to install 5.3.5f1 to load and compile an old project, and the editor won't even open. It never gets past the splash screen. I'm at a loss here.

Spoiler: Editor.log

Built from '5.3/release' branch; Version is '5.3.5f1 (960ebf59018a) revision 9834175'; Using compiler version '160040219'
OS: 'Windows 10 (10.0.0) 64bit' Language: 'en' Physical Memory: 16256 MB
BatchMode: 0, IsHumanControllingUs: 1, StartBugReporterOnCrash: 1, Is64bit: 1, IsPro: 0
Initialize mono
Mono path[0] = 'E:/Unity Editors/5.3.5f1/Editor/Data/Managed'
Mono path[1] = 'E:/Unity Editors/5.3.5f1/Editor/Data/Mono/lib/mono/2.0'
Mono path[2] = 'E:/Unity Editors/5.3.5f1/Editor/Data/UnityScript'
Mono config path = 'E:/Unity Editors/5.3.5f1/Editor/Data/Mono/etc'
Using monoOptions --debugger-agent=transport=dt_socket,embedding=1,defer=y,address=0.0.0.0:56420
ListPackages failed, output: {
"name": "unity-editor",
"version": "5.3.0",
"problems": [
"extraneous: unityeditor-collab-history@0.4.10 C:\\Users\\Connorses\\AppData\\Roaming\\Unity\\Packages\\node_modules\\unityeditor-collab-history",
"extraneous: unityeditor-collab-toolbar@0.4.12 C:\\Users\\Connorses\\AppData\\Roaming\\Unity\\Packages\\node_modules\\unityeditor-collab-toolbar"
],
"dependencies": {
"unityeditor-collab-history": {
"version": "0.4.10",
"extraneous": true,
"problems": [
"extraneous: unityeditor-collab-history@0.4.10 C:\\Users\\Connorses\\AppData\\Roaming\\Unity\\Packages\\node_modules\\unityeditor-collab-history"
],
"from": "unityeditor-collab-history-0.4.10.tgz",
"resolved": "file:unityeditor-collab-history-0.4.10.tgz"
},
"unityeditor-collab-toolbar": {
"version": "0.4.12",
"extraneous": true,
"problems": [
"extraneous: unityeditor-collab-toolbar@0.4.12 C:\\Users\\Connorses\\AppData\\Roaming\\Unity\\Packages\\node_modules\\unityeditor-collab-toolbar"
],
"from": "unityeditor-collab-toolbar-0.4.12.tgz",
"resolved": "file:unityeditor-collab-toolbar-0.4.12.tgz"
},
"unity-editor-home": {
"version": "0.0.13",
"from": "unity-editor-home.0.0.13.tgz",
"resolved": "file:unity-editor-home.0.0.13.tgz"
},
"unityeditor-cloud-hub": {
"version": "0.0.1",
"from": "unityeditor-cloud-hub-0.0.1.tgz",
"resolved": "file:unityeditor-cloud-hub-0.0.1.tgz"
}
}
}
npm ERR! extraneous: unityeditor-collab-history@0.4.10 C:\Users\Connorses\AppData\Roaming\Unity\Packages\node_modules\unityeditor-collab-history
npm ERR! extraneous: unityeditor-collab-toolbar@0.4.12 C:\Users\Connorses\AppData\Roaming\Unity\Packages\node_modules\unityeditor-collab-toolbar

 

You might need to install Visual code or Visual Studio separately nowadays, as this version of Unity is extremely ancient.

Remember: you don't NEED Visual Studio or Code to work in Unity. You can use any editor you like (even Notepad) to edit your files.

You should consider coming ahead to a more recent LTS version of Unity if you can.

This may help you with intellisense and possibly other Visual Studio integration problems:

Sometimes the fix is as simple as doing Assets -> Open C# Project from Unity. Other times it requires more.

Other times it requires you also nuke the userprefs and .vsconfig and other crufty low-value high-hassle files that Visual Studio tends to slowly damage over time, then try the above trick.

Barring all that, move on to other ideas:

https://forum.unity.com/threads/intellisense-not-working-with-visual-studio-fix.836599/

Also, try update the VSCode package inside of Unity: Window -> Package Manager -> Search for Visual Studio Code Editor -> Press the Update button

Also, this: https://forum.unity.com/threads/no-suggestions-in-vscode.955197/#post-6227874

 

Thanks Kurt, I did learn you can download an installer for Visual Studio but I'm still unable to actually launch Unity 5, so I think I've got a different problem altogether. It never gets pasts the splash screen.
I'm including an error log and updating OP above to be more clear.

Failing that, I suppose I can try Unity 2017.

 

There is NOTHING to recommend 2017 at all... If you're jumping up from U5, just go to 2018 LTS. Even that isn't supported anymore but I'm shipping all my games with it presently, but soon I will go to 2019 LTS, just no need presently.

As always, when changing versions, USE SOURCE CONTROL AT ALL TIMES so you can instantly revert if there's a showstopper issue. Unity ONLY supports going to higher and higher versions, and if you want to go back it is on you 100% to have a complete backup. Use source control.

 

Yeah yeah I have a backup. My point is I'm going to try an old LTS version, 2017 is the oldest they got... Still would be nice to get the proper version running though, I'm afraid if I upgrade the project I'll be fixing a bunch of bugs to get the game to run.

 

If you're using Unity5 your project will never run on iOS, Android or Mac because all of those require features that Unity 5 does not support and will never support, even at Unity 5.6.7, the latest in the U5 series.

Perhaps you're only doing Windows, but I don't build much for Windows so I can't speak to compatibility. But the further back in time you are, the more issues you're going to have. It's always better to modify your software to run on the latest, at least if you intend to continue supporting your game into the future.

It is SOFT-ware after all, not HARD-ware. It's alive, it needs care and feeding and careful gardening if you want to keep it alive. Software rots when you don't change it.

The biggest deal is likely to be third-party libraries like advertising modules, but versions of that kind of software from 2016 are almost certainly not going to work today anyway, so you'd need to refactor.