[02/03] Handling users who don't have .NET Framework

Hey. Is there a way to show a msgbox to the user (who doesn't have .net framework) with something like "You need .NET Framework 1.1 in order to run this application."?

Any help is OK :)

.Net framework is automatically installed on the users computer when he/she installs your application..

An install package that doesn't include the .net framwork will check that the user has the correct version installed and if not allow them to download from Microsoft.

you can of course add it to your setup package but this adds about 20Mb to the package size.

Yea I know, but what if I don't want to make an installation package (just open the EXE and use it)?

I'm not sure how you could do this unless you write another exe to check then launch the .net application. I guess a registry lookup would do the job.

Bare in mind you can't check if the .net framework exists with a .net appl because it won't run unless it is installed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DanInManchester

I'm not sure how you could do this unless you write another exe to check then launch the .net application. I guess a registry lookup would do the job.

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Yep, I've already thought about that. That's why I created this topic.

However, can you tell me more details around how to check if he has .NET installed? Maybe reading the folder: %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework

In the registry, I don't know where to look at.

I've never really gone into it but I guess you could check for the existance of the installation folder or use the registry keys at

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework
Setup\NDP\

A .NET application cannot do anything without the .NET Framework, including check whether the .NET Framework is installed. .NET applications get compiled just-in-time by the Framework. If the Framework is not installed then there is no JIT compilation so there is no execution. It's like asking a dead person to check if they're dead. The only way to check for the presence of the .NET Framework is with a compiled, native application.

Create an installer or TELL your users they need the Framework. If you're users aren't smart enough to work it out then that's why you should be creating an installer.