Duplicate GAC assemblies. Why? Safe to delete redundant copies?

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Guest

The global assembly cache on my development computer has duplicate native
images of several System assemblies. For instance, the System assembly itself
is present as two different native images, as well as a non-native version.
The native images have different date/time stamps -- although they differ
only by 3 days in Feb/2004.

Many of the System.* packages have similar redundant native images.

Why are there redundant native image assembly in my GAC?

Is it safe, useful, and/or wise to delete the duplicate native image
assemblies?

Thanks for the information. Please advise if this message should be posted
to another group.
 
GlobalBruce said:
The global assembly cache on my development computer has duplicate native
images of several System assemblies. For instance, the System assembly
itself
is present as two different native images, as well as a non-native
version.
The native images have different date/time stamps -- although they differ
only by 3 days in Feb/2004.

Many of the System.* packages have similar redundant native images.

Why are there redundant native image assembly in my GAC?

Is it safe, useful, and/or wise to delete the duplicate native image
assemblies?

Thanks for the information. Please advise if this message should be posted
to another group.
Click to expand...

Different versions of the Framework?
 
I don't think so. The assembly name, version number, and public key token are
exactly the same for all three assemblies. Only the last modified date
differs between the two native images. This looks to me like the versions are
the same.

This is true for all the duplicate assemblies in my GAC.

Hence my original questions.
 
For instance, the System assembly itself
is present as two different native images, as well as a non-native version.
Click to expand...

The native images aren't really in the GAC, they are in the NGEN
cache. It's just that the fusion shell extension shows a combined view
of the two.

Use Ngen.exe /show to see details on the native assemblies (including
what differs between them), and Gacutil.exe to list the GAC content.



Mattias
 
AHA! The NGEN cache has both a debug and non-debug version of the System
assemblies. Mystery solved.

Thanks, Mattias!
 
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