How to install apps which require older .NET Framework?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sadeq
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Sadeq

I'm using Vista, which by default ships with .NET Runtime 3.0. I have
also installed VS 2005, which has both runtime and SDK for .NET 2.0.

Every now and then, I bump into applications which require older .NET
frameworks, such as 1.0 or 1.1. A nice trick I learned previously was
to monitor the setup for registry access (using a tool such as
"Process Monitor"). This showed me that such apps require a special
key in the registry which if set to correct value, you can set newer
frameworks to "act" as older ones. Here's an example:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Policy\Standards
\v1.1.4322]
"v2.0.50727"=dword:0000c627

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Policy\Standards
\v2.0.31113]
"v2.0.50727"=dword:0000c627

Those two keys/values "tell" applications in need of frameworks
v1.1.4322 or v2.0.31113 to use v2.0.50727.

Such registry "hack" worked very good for me, but recently I
downloaded "Application Compatibility Toolkit" from microsoft, which
requires framework 1.1, and does not accept the hack.

My question is: How to tell the application to use newer frameworks?

(I want to install older frameworks as a last resort, and only in case
I'm assured that there's no alternative)
 
I'm curious as to why you're so reluctant to just install the framework the app needs
Click to expand...

That's because I don't want to fill my hard disk with various
installed versions of .NET Framework, and don't want to keep many
dotnetfx.exe files, only the latest one.

And also, in my experience, I saw that newer .NET Frameworks run apps
compiled by older versions of .NET Framework like a charm.
but anyway you don't really need a hack, you probably just need a
config file with a supportedRuntime element.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9w519wzk.aspx
Click to expand...

I think I can't apply this to MSI setup files. The setup checks for a
specific version of .NET framework, and does not allow me to install
the app b4 installing the older version of framework.
 
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