.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 -- 2.0 also required?

[Bikedude]

If I add 3.5 SP1 to "Application Runtime", IA also selects 2.0, 2.0SP2, 3.0 and 3.0SP2.

Given 3.5's massive size (200MB+), I assumed it came as a complete download. I've tried a few google queries,

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework, the 3.5 SP1 installer installs 2.0 SP2 as well as 3.0 SP2...

So why is IA adding these other runtimes already handled by 3.5 SP1?

And am I now heading into trouble, seeing as I only added 3.5 SP1 as an installer package when I first installed IA?

[rev23dev]

*bump*

I can't find anything else about this, why did no one reply? I have the same question.

My application intalls .NET 2.0 SP2 and .NET 4.0

However, on Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you can't install the .NET 2.0 SP2 package, only .NET 3.5 SP1 which INCLUDES .NET 2.0 SP2.

So... why are these being made requred when you select 3.5. This behavior is wrong.

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

InstallAware runtimes selection it is designed to assist component selection and trying to minimize the problems about the relationship and dependences of the selected components. Obviously this is done trying to maximize the possible results and in some circumstances, it may happen, that these relations are redundant or superfluous.

Unfortunately it is impossible to automate a complex process perfectly.
But we try to do all our best!

Regards

[rev23dev]

Thanks Francesco,

After building the .net 3.5 w/sp1 package is only about 14MB. So, the installaware runtime does NOT seem to include these extra packages.

What should be done here?

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

I'm sorry but I do not understand your question or ... your answer is sarcastic?!?!

Regards

[rev23dev]

No, my answer is not intended as sarcasm. It was a legitimate question.


- I need to install .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 on Windows 8 Consumer Preview

- The package included with InstallAware does not work, the only way to install .NET 2.0 SP2 on Windows 8 is to install .NET 3.5 SP1.

- The .NET 3.5 installer from Microsoft includes .NET 2.0 SP2. The InstallAware runtime does not seem to include this for some reason.

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

Ok perfect ... do not worry ... I believe I have lost some detail

The problem you found is probably due by the time when this runtime as been included with InstallAware Package. Consider also, that the test performed on Win8 at the time of first IA 2012 distribution / release, was quite different due the different Beta ver of Win 8 itself.

Unfortunately (I am speaking as a developer at this time) I am sometimes faced with similar situations too and in some situations I use runtimes download from the source as you have done. But fortunately InstallAware allows you to find alternative solutions frequently, as in your case.

I can not tell you much more.

Regards

[rev23dev]

Francesco, I'm still a little confused by your response.

It seems that everyone that will attempt to install .NET 3.5 in Windows 8 via InstallAware (since it's not installed by Microsoft by default for some odd reason) will run into this issue and fail to install.

This seems like a pretty big issue that needs to be addressed.

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

what I'm trying to say it is that untill Windows 8 will be not officially distributed or untill the new OS will be not available officially to developer comunity, it will be hard to provide an official runtime for it.

Actually it is not an official release of Windows 8 available, it is still a BETA version at this time. For this reason, the official release when be available could be different in features or packages and because it is still work in progress.

Probably when the official realease on Win 8 will be available with the runtime itself. But we do not know at moment.

In conclusion, I do not think that this is an InstallAware bug.

Regards

[Bob T Bunny]

I can see potential issues with any solution that InstallAware tries to create at build time. The software, when creating the installation, doesn't know what the target OS is going to be. Partivularly if you're doing a single .exe install (as our company does) it'll need to wrap the installs for .Net 2, 3, 3.5, for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, Windows 8, all into the one .exe.

My solution has been to detect Windows 8 at runtime (during the installation) and use dism.exe (Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool) built into Windows 8, to install all the missing .Net Frameworks.

The logic goes something like this.
Early on in the main installation:
Set Variable DOTNETWIN8 to TRUE

Edit the CheckNet20, CheckNet30, CheckNet35 (whatever bits your installation needs) put the following (most of it is already there)
Set Variable DOTNET20 to TRUE
Check/Install .Net Framework (check v2.0....
if Variable DOTNET20 Equals FALSE
Set Variable PREREQ to TRUE
Set Variable PRELIST to $PRELIST$$NEWLINE$....
-- comment: The next few lines, to the first End, are new.
Set Variable ISWIN8 to FALSE
Get System Setting Windows 8 into ISWIN8
if Variable ISWIN8 Equals TRUE
-- comment: This stops the usual .Net v2 from trying to install
Set Variable DOTNET20 to TRUE
-- comment: This makes the Windows 8 .Net 2, 3 and 3.5 install at the right time
Set Variable DOTNETWIN8 to FALSE
end
end

And finally, make a new script called setupnetwin8, to be Included where the other .Net's are installed.
if Variable DOTNETWIN8 Equals FALSE
Set Variable ISWIN8 to FALSE
Get System Setting Windows 8 into ISWIN8
if Variable ISWIN8 Equals TRUE
Set Variable IS64BIT to FALSE
Get System Setting Windows in 64bit Mode into IS64BIT
if Variable IS64BIT Equals TRUE
Set x64 - Native 64bit Windows...
end
Set Variable PROGRESSTEXT to Installing Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 (includes 2.0 and 3.0)
Run Program dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 (WAIT)
if Variable IS64BIT Equals TRUE
Set Win32 - Native 32bit Windows...
end

end
end

And that should just about do it. Essentially, you're changing each Check .Net script to check for Windows 8, and set 1 common variable if it's needed, and stopping the usual .Net install from running. Then it runs the 32 or 64bit version of dism.exe (it won't work if your installation is in 32bit mode on a 64bit machine) to install.

As it stands, the .Net 3.5 installation will be downloaded off the internet, presumably from Microsoft. I like this idea, as it means that in 2 years time, new Windows 8 machines should be fully patched when the download happens. There's nothing worse than having a customer install your program, then find they have to reboot 3 times to catch up with Windows Updates...

For anyone who wants to take it a step further, you might like to find the dism package on the Windows 8 installation CD, wrap it up in a FileBag, and put it online repackaged for downloading. You would then need to modify the dism.exe command to specify the FileBag location as the source. Remember to wrap both the 32bit and 64bit installations, and run the right dism.exe on the right installation accordingly.

E & OE. Enjoy...

Bob

[rmarma]

Bob,

Thank you for your post. I tried it and it worked as expected.
One question though:
In the last 3 lines of your code, you do:


if Variable IS64BIT Equals TRUE
Set Win32 - Native 32bit Windows...
end

Is this correct? Why are you setting it to 32 bit if the OS is 64 bit?

[FrancescoT]

Dear rmarma,

Although I am not the author of the code, I can confirm you that the lines of code that you are referring ... do precisely that.

Sets the installation process to be executed as NATIVE 32 bit with a x64 OS.

regards

[Bob T Bunny]

Hi rmarma,

Yes it's correct, maybe. Like everything with InstallAware, you can change it to suit your needs.

The installation initially launches as a 32bit program, regardless of the OS version. So programs, for example, get put in Program Files (x86) and registry entries go into HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\MyProgram, so that they can be accessed by your 32bit programs that you're installing.

If you want your install to run as Native 64bit, then leave out the 3 lines you quoted that put it back into 32bit mode. My Mum taught me well - I put them in to "put it back how I found it."

Glad the code worked for you :-]

Bob

[rmarma]

Thanks for the reply. Since I'm installing a 64 bit app, I removed the 3 lines and it works as expected.

[MVEMike]

Bob T Bunny,

Thank you for posting your code! It was very helpful.

I would like to add that a source might need to be added if it fails to download from Windows. I was not able to get the DISM command to work without specifying a source. It might be because of our firewall, but I added the line below just in case it fails without a source specified. The installer could ask the user to insert the DVD, but we just package the source as a web media block since some users might not get a Windows DVD with their computer.

For example:
Run Program dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /All /Source:$SOURCE_FOLDER$\Win8Sourcesx64 /LimitAccess (WAIT, get result into variable WIN8RESULT_X64)

$SOURCE_FOLDER$ being the path to the sources\sxs folder in the DVD media for Windows 8.

Also, I added the /All command since it will install any parent requirements, which was necessary for Windows Server 2012.