issues with 2003 bootstrapper - for the love of god please help me

I am running vs2002. I have followed the directions and done every step on the microsoft site here: (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp url=/library/en-us/dnnetdep/html/vsredistdeploy1_1.asp _r=1)

Everything looks right on directions and my dev machine:

To install the .NET Framework with a Setup project

Make sure that the Visual Studio .NET Framework Bootstrapper Plug-in is installed.
Select the Setup project in Solution Explorer. On the Project menu, choose Properties.
Set the Bootstrapper property to Windows Installer Bootstrapper.
The .NET Framework redistributable will be packaged with the Setup.exe for the Setup project when it is built.
Note The .NET Framework launch condition must also be enabled; it is enabled by default for any project that references the .NET Framework. To check for the launch condition, from the View menu, point to Editor and choose Launch Conditions, then look for a launch condition named .Net Framework.

I have a launch condition that is already made titled "MsiNetAssemblySupport". I dont know if it matters but the launch condition icon has a little computer with a dialog behinf it and a red exclamation on it.

When I build the application I get an error "WARNING: This setup does not contain the .NET Framework which must be installed on the target machine by running dotnetfx.exe before this setup will install. You can find dotnetfx.exe on the Visual Studio .NET 'Windows Components Update' media. Dotnetfx.exe can be redistributed with your setup." But set 3 (above) is done as well as ensuring the launch condition is there.

I have tryed to include the dotnetfx.exe file in my Application Folder as well. But no matter what I do the installer always errors out on the client machine with "The .Net framework is not installed" and just asks to close the installer.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong Thanks a ton!

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issues with 2003 bootstrapper - for the love of god please help me

George Homorozeanu

I hear you and we are working on it.

Another approach you could use would be to use the Generic Bootstrapper in the .NET Frameworks 2.0 SDK (and Visual Studio 2005).

I've got a tool at http://www.gotdotnet.com/workspaces/workspace.aspx id=ddb4f08c-7d7c-4f44-a009-ea19fc812545 that will allow you to create your own packages for the bootstapper, as well as build the bootstrapper. You don't need to have VS installed to use either.

and there's a 1.1 package at: http://www.gotdotnet.com/workspaces/workspace.aspx id=7e8e8cbd-b447-4a9d-a984-9379d1a0c190

It's a better bootstrapper than the VS 2003 add-in and will save you some time writing your own. I was just hopeing the one we built specifically for VS 2003 would work for you, but alas, perhaps this is the best route for you.
Alan Phipps
David,

I think I understand what you are saying. My intention is to install v1.1 (all that I need and my clients all have never even had a version installed at all. I think this is why it is giving me issues. You said:

"If it does, you need to run a built file like setup.exe that should run dotnetfx.exe and then your .msi."

How to I go about doing this (creating a setup that will install dotnetfx first and then my installer).

Thanks for the help. It is really appreciated.
JohnHart_MSFT

The build warning you are describing is always shown in VS 2002, it won't go away and all it says is that the .NET Fx is not included by default. I argued against this warning, but I lost that one!

The MsiNetAssemblySupport property is the launch condition we used in VS2002, which should work as long as some verison of the .NET Frameworks is installed... unless the Condition in the setup project is set to a specific version, but I don't think it was.

I wasn't involved with the VS 2003 bootstrapper add-in, so I don't know if it even works correctly on VS2002. If it does, you need to run a built file like setup.exe that should run dotnetfx.exe and then your .msi.

I hope this helps.
2162
Yes I had tried to do it that way and I never actually had a working result. I based my original posting on that link. What I have decided to do to solve my problem is:

write my own installer in vb6 that checks for the framework via registry entry, installs proper materials, places the files I need from a folder included in a zip file into the proper destination that a user specifies, as well as inserts proper registry keys into dynamically created areas. The bad part of this is that I now cannot have one file to install from; rather a exe file with a directory of my install files.

I know this was not the best/ most efficient way of doing things but I have found that deployment is not too easy (at least for me). I don't think this area of visual studio is well documented for the average user who requires advanced installation. Deployment is a very large part of development and should be just as documented as standard programming practices and techniques. I tried using a copy of VS2005 on a different dev machine and ended up having mixed results with the bootstrapper included in that package. I found that most of it is unreliable (at least to me) in the vs2005 package as well.

i might give up my original solution (writing installer) and try the custom/bootstrapper/headache to make a single setup file but we will see.

Thanks for your help!
longwood12345

Have you tried this: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx familyid=627921a0-d9e7-43d6-a293-72f9c370bd19&displaylang=en
issues with 2003 bootstrapper - for the love of god please help me

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