Compatibility problems in deploying c# win form application - c#

I am facing a lot of trouble while deploying a windows form application on a CD. I have made the application in .NET framework 2.0 and I want to include the setup for the framwork with the installation disk. The application is to run on WindowsXP(damn, user requirement). I tried deploying it with 1 click deployment in VS2010 but the setup does not run on winXP.(Error-.NET framework 4.0 required to run the application). Is there any way of deploying the app which can run on winXP(.NET 2.0), win7(.NET 4.0)-32 bit as well as 64 bit environment.

A 32 bit app will run on 32 or 64 bit operating systems.
A .NET 2.0 application will run on .NET 2.0 or .NET 4.0.
Sounds like your installer is the only dependency on .NET 4. Check the publishing prerequisites you have set on your project.

Visual Studio 2010 doesn't provide a .Net 2.0 pre-requisite for deployment projects. A MSDN support rep explained (?) this in this question:
In VS 2010, it doesn’t support you to set .NET Framework 2.0 as
prerequisite. You can set .NET 3.5 SP1 client profile instead.
Although your application is still build target to .NET 2.0, .NET 3.5
client profile is a light weight .NET framework run time which
supports to run .NET 2.0 based application. So Microsoft removes .NET
2.0 from the prerequisite list.
There's a solution though in that thread:
If you take the .NET 2.0 package from the VS2008 bootstrapper packages
folder and copy it to the corresponding location for VS2010, it works
fine. I tested it in a virtual machine running Windows XP and no .NET.
On Vista or Windows 7, the VS2008 packages are here:
c:\Program Files\Microsoft
SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bootstrapper\Packages\DotNetFX (this is .NET 2.0)
On Vista or Windows 7, the VS2010 packages are here:
c:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\BootStrapper\Packages
See the other posts in the thread for more detail.

Related

How to Pick which Framework Version to Build app for C# Visualstudio

I am very new to C# development. Like Youtube tutorial new. I am trying to build a console app to install services to our servers. Is there a way to pick which .Net version you want to use to build the application? So that I the writer can tell the user which .Net version they should have in their system for the console app to run?
I am using Visual Studio 2019
Thanks to #David Browne's comment under my original post all you need to do is make sure to select .Net Framework version of the Console Application template in Visual Studio project template. Not .Net Core. I wasn't aware there was a difference:
"You set the Target Framework in the Project Properties. But the Project Type determines whether you're targeting .NET Framework or .NET Core"
You have 2 options to get started
.NET Framework - Apps build using .NET framework can only run on Windows. This is an years old proven and secure stable, mature eco system
.NET Core - Apps build using .NET Core can run on Windows, Linux and Mac. It's cross platform and open source. Latest is v5.0.
I recommend you to use the latest .NET Core v5 for your new projects. It's stable and Microsoft is well supporting it. .NET Core much is powerful, faster and optimized.
You can create different kinds of apps using .NET Core. You can create simple console apps, libraries or asp.net core web apps. MVC and WebAPI are supported. As you mentioned, if you want to create a service, There is "Worker Service" project available for .NET Core.
If you create a Worker Service it can run as a Windows Service in Windows machines and a Linux Deamon in Linux machines.
Visual Studio 2019 got well with .NET Core and it's features.
If you need to run a .NET Core project in Windows, Linux or Mac machine, you also need to setup the deployment machine installed with .NET Core runtime. It's available free from Microsoft website. Download.. Install.. Run. That simple

Windows Services / .net environment

We are planning to upgrade to windows server 2008 machine (from server 2003) and have a bunch of windows services written in visual studio 2003/2005 that we will have to migrate. My concerns is that on server 2008 there is no .NET 1.1 framework, as we had on the server 2003.
I have some doubts, but hopeful to clear them here:
Are windows services 'targeted' for specific .net environments?
If, yes, how can I migrate to framework to 2.0?
Can I use the installutil from .net 2.2 to install a .net 1.1 win service?
Are windows services 'targeted' for specific .net environments?
Not specifically. .NET assemblies are version specific, but usually backwards compatible. A .NET 1.1 assembly will still run on a 2.0 or higher .NET version. I do suggest to upgrade though since .NET 1.1 is more than ten years old already.
If, yes, how can I migrate to framework to 2.0?
You have to change the targeted .NET Framework for the Visual Studio project. You can do this in the Project Settings dialog. You have to recompile and distribute that newer version.
Can I use the installutil from .net 2.2 to install a .net 1.1 win service?
Yes. The installutil is not something .NET specific. It will work for any exe as far as I know.
You can install .NET 1.1 (and also a SP1) on Windows 2008. It warns you about conflicts but works ok.

Is WPF with version 3.5 fits Windows7 and Windows8?

i am developing WPF application in visual studio and using .NET 3.5.
does the application fits Windows7 and Windows8 OS with no .NET framework additional installation?
do i need to add .NET 3.5 installation to setup project?
In Windows 7 .NET framework 3.5 is part of the operating system so all machines should have it.
In Windows 8 or windows 8.1 .NET framework 3.5 is NOT automatically installed (though all machines that are upgraded from win 7 -> win 8 should have it).
To run apps that require the .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 8 or later, you must enable version 3.5 on your computer. There are two ways you can do this: by installing or running an app that requires the .NET Framework 3.5 (that is, by installing the .NET Framework 3.5 on demand), or by enabling the .NET Framework 3.5 in Control Panel. Both options require an Internet connection.
If an app requires the .NET Framework 3.5, but doesn't find that version enabled on your computer, it displays a message box, either during installation, or when you run the app for the first time. In the message box, choose Install this feature to enable the .NET Framework 3.5.
The above require an internet connection. If this is not possible you will have to include the .exe files of .NET 3.5 in your distribution
however as MSDN states:
The .NET Framework 4.5 and its point releases are backward-compatible
with apps that were built with earlier versions of the .NET Framework.
In other words, apps and components built with previous versions will
work without modification on the .NET Framework 4.5. However, by
default, apps run on the version of the common language runtime for
which they were developed, so you may have to provide a configuration
file to enable your app to run on the .NET Framework 4.5
So build your project for 3.5 and just deploy it to windows 8 machines. It should run, but its not the "best" environment for the app. The "best" would be to have .NET 3.5 installed.

Windows installer 3.1

Visual Studio 2005
I have developed an application using C#. I have created an setup application, and included the .NET Framework 2.0 on the CD.
I am not using ClickOnce.
However, one of our clients is complaining that they cannot install as it's asking
for Windows Installer 3.1. However, I didn't exclude that from the setup project.
To do a complete test I decided to install some VMware that didn't have the .NET framework or Windows Installer 3.1 (just a skeleton Windows XP). The application installed OK.
What is the Windows Installer 3.1? And why do I need it?
Windows installer is the software that is able to run MSI files. It comes (in some version) with Windows (starting in Windows 2000 SP4). In each MSI file, the minimum installer version is defined; installer will complain if the MSI is "too new". The Windows SDK has a table showing what installer versions where included in what Windows releases.
You can get the 3.1 redistributable from Microsoft.
You need it to install .NET framework 2.0.
Please check this download link.
Its System Requirements says:
System Requirements
- Required Software:
o Windows Installer 3.0 (except for Windows 98/ME, which require Windows Installer 2.0 or later). Windows Installer 3.1 or later is recommended.
o IE 5.01 or later: You must also be running Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later for all installations of the .NET Framework.
EDIT : You can make sure in your setup project that all the prerequisites for your project exists in your Setup Package. You can find a step-by-step how-to in this CodeProject article..

Install (activate) .NET 3.0 Framework with an application in Vista

if i have an application that requires .net 3.0, what is the proper way to make an install file out of it, that will install the application and then install (activate) the .net 3.0? i tried publishing my project through visual studio 2008 (c#) which created the installer and the .net activator, but it didn't work properly on computers other than my own, when the .net 3.0 was not present.
i though i could bundle http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=10CC340B-F857-4A14-83F5-25634C3BF043&displaylang=en with the application, which would download and install .net 3.0 if needed. this could work ok on non-vista systems, but on vista, the redist package reports an error: you must use turn windows features on or off in the control panel to install or configure microsoft .net framework 3.0
The key is to install the .net framework if it is not there - regardless of the OS. Also, just go ahead and install the .Net 3.5 framework if you are going to install one of them.
Anyway, if you are using the built in installer that comes with Visual Studio, this is a real pain in the butt. You would be better off, and saner if you went with a different installer package. Install Shield, Wise, InstallAware will all do it for you. I believe you can also find better guidance on how to do this with Wix and NullSoft Installer.
http://www.improve.dk/blog/2007/06/10/creating-a-dotnet-bootstrapped-installer-using-nsis
How can I detect .NET 3.5 in WiX?
Windows Vista has already .NET Framework 3.0 installed.
Now if you wanted for example to have .NET Framework 3.5 installed you could create a Setup Project and then right click and go to View->Launch Conditions. There will be a .NET Framework launch condition where you can specify the required version of the framework and an URL to download from.
Here's a post about Launch Conditions in a Setup Project.

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