This document introduces hwo to distribute .NET application with .NET Framework.

Before install .NET application, the target machine need to fulfil the condition that the machine has already installed the .NET Framework. If this is not the case, the application will not be able to work. And Microsoft Visual Studio .NET setup and deployment project can not install .NET Framework automatically.

• Before deploy Visual Studio .NET application, the target machine has to be installed .NET Framework in advance. When you use Visual Studio .NET to create Windows Installer package, the package contains a MsiNetAssemblySupport. This condition will determine whether the machine has installed Framework or not. Fail to find .NET Framework will terminate the install process, and you will receive the following error message: This setup requires the .NET Framework. Please install the .NET Framework and run this setup again.

You can not put the Framework into the installation package, and you need to install it seperately. You can have following two ways to install the framework.

• Ask user to install the framework menually before install the application.
• Download the Setup.exe wizard program. Use Setup.exe to install the .NET Framework by running Dotnetfx.exe. After installing .NET Framework, the Setup.exe will run the Windows Installer package for you.

Using Setup.exe and Visual Studio .NET to distribute .NET Framework

You may want to pack the application in order to intall the .NET Framework first and then the .NET application Windows Install package (.msi file). Setup.exe wizard can be download from MSDN wetsite. And you need to modify the Settings.ini in order to target the postion of redistribute package and installer.

Using Setup.exe

You have to delete the install wizard from project first:

• Click deploy project in the solution views.
• Click property in the project menu.
• Set none