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Do we need Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to uninstall a Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 based windows application?

Hello everyone,

Do we need Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to uninstall aMicrosoft .NET Framework 2.0 based windows application?

I have a windows application and a installer project both created on .net framework 2.0. Installation works fine. If i uninstall my application first and then the .NET Framework from the control panel then there is no issue. However, if i first remove the .Net Framework 2.0 and then try to uninstall the windows application then it gives me fatal error 1603. Could anyone please tell me how to resolve this issue?

TusharDave Thursday, July 23, 2009 7:44 AM

I don't think you can do this. The first reason is that your setup might have custom actions that depend on the framework, such as Installer classes for service uninstall.
Other things that might be an issue are uninstalling assemblies. I don't know exactly what the internal behavior is, but uninstalling assemblies from the GAC may also require the framework, and there might be other internal things going on that require the .NET FW to uninstall a .NET app.

So it seems to me that it's unlikely you can make this work. Why doesthe order matter? Also, you'd have be completely sure that no other apps are using the framework because they'll be broken after you uninstall the FW.

Phil Wilson