edited

Getting somewhere at last. Regardless of which avr board you select, when you see the programmers list it is a combined list of all programmers defined by all avr board manager packages. That is how Arduino has always worked but that means there can be conflict of programmer "id".

Here is an example of how the clash can happen:-

The arduino board package includes a programmer with id=avrisp and name=AVR ISP
The ATTinyCore board package has a programmer with id=avrisp and name=AVR ISP or Atmel STK500

In Visual Micro, if an Arduino avr board is selected the programmers list will include the "AVR ISP" programmer but will not include "AVR ISP or Atmel STK500". If a ATTinyCore board is selected you will see a programmer called "AVR ISP or Atmel STK500" and you will not see "AVR ISP"

It is wrong for the author of the ATTinyCore to use the same programmer ID's as the arduino avr package, eapecially because the core relies on the toolchain from arduino avr package.

I suspect that one or more of your other cores also makes the same mistake by using a programmer id that matches an arduino avr programmer. This at least explains why we have not yet seen the programmer you are using on our menus. It must be from yet another avr board package

If you no longer have the ATTinyCore installed then I expect you should select the "AVR ISP" programmer. Which uses the STK500v1 protocol alongside serial communications.

This is the official arduino.cc avr programer definition that is the "AVR ISP" programmer you see in the menus:-

avrisp.name=AVR ISP
avrisp.communication=serial
avrisp.protocol=stk500v1
avrisp.program.protocol=stk500v1
avrisp.program.tool=avrdude
avrisp.program.tool.default=avrdude
avrisp.program.extra_params=-P{serial.port}


More...

The DIY ATTiny package further confuses things. It uses the Id's of two common arduino.cc avr programmers.

avrisp.name=DIY ATTiny: AVR ISP
avrisp.communication=serial
avrisp.protocol=stk500v1
avrisp.program.protocol=stk500v1
avrisp.program.tool=avrdude
avrisp.program.tool.default=avrdude
avrisp.program.extra_params=-P{serial.port}

arduinoasisp.name=DIY ATTiny: Arduino as ISP
arduinoasisp.communication=serial
arduinoasisp.protocol=stk500v1
arduinoasisp.speed=19200
arduinoasisp.program.protocol=stk500v1
arduinoasisp.program.speed=19200
arduinoasisp.program.tool=avrdude
arduinoasisp.program.tool.default=avrdude
arduinoasisp.program.extra_params=-P{serial.port} -b{program.speed}

The mightCore only has one entry with potential conflict but so far the arduinoasisp seems to be the one that is re-defined as the same accross your board packages.

arduinoasisp.name=Arduino as ISP
arduinoasisp.communication=serial
arduinoasisp.protocol=stk500v1
arduinoasisp.speed=19200
arduinoasisp.program.protocol=stk500v1
arduinoasisp.program.speed=19200
arduinoasisp.program.tool=avrdude
arduinoasisp.program.extra_params=-P{serial.port} -b{program.speed}


Is there another package that you have installed that you didn't list because we have not seen the "Atmel SDK500" programmer in any of the package urls you posted?? If not then what is in you documents/Arduino\Hardware folder?

update: There are plenty of alternative STK500 programmers in the list for you to chose from but according to this it mmust be STK500v2

https://shop.myavr.com/?sp=article.sp.php&artID=200006

Tim, I'm heavily confused 

1) I just found that my Arduino IDE is 1.8.13.
Formerly I explained that I have installed Arduino 1.8.6, but this is the board manager version. Sorry for that misinformation.

2) Two times I saw in the Arduino IDE output window the hint, that an very old version of boards is used (something with "1.0.2" at the end), but at the moment I'm unable to find this location on my harddisk.
It happened when I tried uploading via "Atmel STK500" but missed to select the programmer type ("Tools - Programmer:" was empty).

-> Perhaps my Arduino IDE and VS/VM are using totally different tool sets?

3) I have installed the following platforms: (attachment 1)
But I get only programmers of "DIY ATtiny": (attachment 2)

Yes.

Same with "DIY ATTiny: AVRISP mkII" and "DIY ATTiny: AVR ISP", respectively, as you proposed here:

Tim@Visual Micro wrote on Sep 10^th, 2023 at 10:40pm:



I always get:

Compiling 'Zisterne_Fuellstand_mLib' for 'ATtiny85(diy_attiny_attiny85_diy)'
Build Folder: _attiny_attiny85_diy/Release"

Program size: 6630 bytes (used 81% of a 8192 byte maximum) (0,75 secs)
Minimum Memory Usage: 246 bytes (48% of a 512 byte maximum)

'Upload Using' requires a programmer. Upload cancelled. 

HarryS wrote on Sep 11^th, 2023 at 9:24am:


I just see the "1.0.2" in my screen dump
It is from "attiny by David A. Mellis Version 1.0.2 INSTALLED"

It is located deep down in "AppData":


[edit]
I wanted to insert a screen dump, but the corresponding button has vanished.
Did I post too much pictures?
[\edit]

see screenshot

Have I to activate Compiler and Uploader verbose?
If so, it busts the 16000 character limit of the edit control.

Here the output with Uploader verbose OFF and Compiler verbose OFF:

... 

Sorry, even with verbose OFF for both there is too much text.
Do you need a special part of the output?
If so, I might cut superfluous parts and post the rest. 

[edit]
Just sent you the log at "forum_admin"
[\edit]

I created a new project using the Blink2 example, VM proposes.

The configuration defaults to "ARM" (I formerly had x86, but that seems irrelevant).

I used platform "attiny by David A. Mellis Version 1.0.2" and enabled "Enable Programmer for Uploads".

Same error as before: "'Upload Using' requires a programmer. Upload cancelled."

Attached logfile with both, Compiler and Uploader verbose.


[edit]
Project changed to "ATmega328p (Arduino Nano)", upload via COM4 runs flawlessly.
Changing Uploader to "STK500 development board" doesn't work, resulting in
"'Upload Using' requires a programmer. Upload cancelled."

This definitely worked before I updated my combination VS2017/VM, I used this with some Arduino Nanos with defective USB chips.
[\edit]

Confirmed

[edit]
I just see, that after creating the new project there is "(Linux)" printed adjacent to the project name "Blink2".

I read in the documentation of the new Intellisense feature that there should be added "(Arduino)".
[\edit]

No, it is not. 
Should this be enabled?

If I activate this option, the programmer is connected and says "Upload has finished":

Compiling 'Blink2' for 'ATtiny85 (ATtiny25/45/85)(attiny_ATtinyX5_attiny85)'
Build Folder: y85/Release"

Program size: 682 bytes (used 8% of a 8192 byte maximum) (0,54 secs)
Minimum Memory Usage: 9 bytes (2% of a 512 byte maximum)

Uploading 'Blink2' to 'ATtiny85 (ATtiny25/45/85)(attiny_ATtinyX5_attiny85)' using 'Atmel STK500 development board'
	The upload process has finished.
 

But the already burned code in the AtTiny is unchanged.
There is no actual upload happening.

But at least, the programmer is connected