Older .NET 2.0 runtime and framework releases on top of newer ones

[AltairVI]

Forgive these questions if they have been asked, but I have not found any
information about how this situation is handled, and ramifications.

I have a Vista Home Premium PC setup with the .NET 3.5 SP1 framework /
runtime installed.

I recently installed a program that installed the .NET 2.0 runtime during
the setup.

After reading http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb822049.aspx , I now
understand that the .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5 all use the
..NET 2.0 runtime; however, each require a .NET 2.0 Runtime SP.

Since all .NET apps now are using the .NET 2.0 runtime, what is / are the
ramifications of installing an older .NET 2.0 runtime over new one; as in
the case I mentioned above?

Are there controls in place with the .NET runtime (or sdk) installers that
catch this situation?

If applications targeting the original .NET 2.0 runtime can still run on the
newer .NET 2.0 releases; then shouldn't application installers not require
installation of an older framework?

What are the ramifications of installing the original .NET 3.0 on top of
..NET 3.5? Will the .NET 3.0 SP2 be lost?

Thanks

 

[Jani Järvinen [MVP]]

Hello!

Since all .NET apps now are using the .NET 2.0 runtime, what is / are the
ramifications of installing an older .NET 2.0 runtime over new one; as
in
the case I mentioned above?

Generally speaking, *properly* written installation programs should not
attempt to install an older .NET Framework version on a computer which
already has a similar or higher version installed. However, I've noticed
that sometimes applications with embedded .NET installers skip such checks,
and this could lead to the situation you are experiencing.

In the worst case, if you already have, say, SP1 installed and you then
install the same package without any service packs, you will end with a
system that has mismatching information about .NET versions.
Registry/Windows Installer database could tell a different story than the
files on disk, and this can lead to application errors at run-time.

My suggestion is that if you experience trouble with applications, you might
wish to uninstall all .NET versions from your system, and then re-install
the latest versions again (you could also try repairing the
installation). Note that sometimes installation programs appear to do
something (like install the .NET Framework 2.0), but when they notice newer
files on the system, they just skip the operation.

Hope this helps!

--
Regards,

Jani Järvinen
C# MVP
Vantaa, Finland
(e-mail address removed)

 

[AltairVI]

This is great. Thank you for the information.

Hello!

Since all .NET apps now are using the .NET 2.0 runtime, what is / are the
ramifications of installing an older .NET 2.0 runtime over new one; as
in
the case I mentioned above?

Generally speaking, *properly* written installation programs should not
attempt to install an older .NET Framework version on a computer which
already has a similar or higher version installed. However, I've noticed
that sometimes applications with embedded .NET installers skip such checks,
and this could lead to the situation you are experiencing.

In the worst case, if you already have, say, SP1 installed and you then
install the same package without any service packs, you will end with a
system that has mismatching information about .NET versions.
Registry/Windows Installer database could tell a different story than the
files on disk, and this can lead to application errors at run-time.

My suggestion is that if you experience trouble with applications, you might
wish to uninstall all .NET versions from your system, and then re-install
the latest versions again (you could also try repairing the
installation). Note that sometimes installation programs appear to do
something (like install the .NET Framework 2.0), but when they notice newer
files on the system, they just skip the operation.

Hope this helps!

--
Regards,

Jani Järvinen
C# MVP
Vantaa, Finland
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Cowboy \(Gregory A. Beamer\)]

Depending on how they bootstrapped it might not have actually installed
anything on your box. Worst case is you have to reapply SP1.

--
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, Se, SD, DBA

Blog:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/GregoryBeamer

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