Thoughts about setup and deployment issues, WiX, XNA, the .NET Framework and Visual Studio
All postings are provided AS IS with no warranties, and confer no rights. Additionally, views expressed herein are my own and not those of my employer, Microsoft.
I have posted an updated version of the .NET Framework cleanup tool that now contains support for automatically cleaning up the .NET Framework 1.0, the .NET Framework 1.1, the .NET Framework 2.0, the .NET Framework 3.0 and the .NET Framework 3.5.
This tool automates the manual cleanup steps for the .NET Framework 2.0 that I posted a while ago. These steps have helped solve most of the known .NET Framework 2.0 beta uninstall issues that I know of. In addition, the tool can be useful to return your system to a known (relatively clean) state in case you run into any .NET Framework 2.0 installation failures so that you can try to install again.
The updated version of the cleanup tool contains options to clean up the .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 separately and all versions simultaneously in a single step. The cleanup tool contains logic so that if it is run on an OS version that includes the .NET Framework as an OS component, it will not offer the option to clean it up. This means that running the cleanup tool on Windows XP Media Center Edition or Tablet PC Edition will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 1.0, running it on Windows Server 2003 will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 1.1 and running it on Windows Vista will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 2.0 or the .NET Framework 3.0.
There are a couple of very important caveats that you should read before using this tool to cleanup .NET Framework bits on your machine:
I have been using this tool for a while, and it has proven reliable, but there may still be bugs in it in certain scenarios. Please contact me if you run into any issues while using the cleanup tool or if you are still unable to install the .NET Framework (or any service packs or hotfixes) after running it.
The tool has a command line switch that allows it to be run in silent mode if needed. There is more information about how to run it in silent mode in the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool User's Guide.
<update date="8/22/2007"> Added information about removing the .NET Framework 3.0 because the tool now supports this version of the .NET Framework in addition to 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0. </update>
<update date="9/13/2007"> Added information about removing the .NET Framework 3.5 because the tool now supports this version of the .NET Framework in addition to 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0. </update>
<update date="12/3/2007"> Added a link to the silent install instructions for the cleanup tool </update>
<update date="2/28/2009"> Added links to the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool User's Guide, which contains download locations and detailed information about how to use the cleanup tool. </update>
Details about the .NET Framework 2.0 setup packaging Available command line switches for .NET Framework
Recently, I saw a post on the MSDN .NET Framework Setup Forum indicating that a customer was having trouble
PingBack from http://www.computerforum.com/68449-net-framework-2-a.html#post540326
Where to get Visual Studio 2005 and the .NET Framework 2.0 Where to download the .NET Framework 2.0 redistributable
sir,
i just joined this forum only to say thank you very much. this problem was driving me nuts and your tool worked like a holy charm! no fuss no muss.
in my wanderings, i've come across other forums where, like i did, the people despair lost and confused, longing for someone to lead them out of this annoying f*cking problem...
i will post them your link.
:)