Mailbag: Why does the .NET Framework 2.0 install .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 files?

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Question:

I have a new computer and I only have the .NET Framework 2.0 installed so far. However, when I look at the folder %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework, I see folders named v1.0.3705, v1.1.4322 and v2.0.50727. Does that mean the .NET Framework 2.0 setup is installing a few files into the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 folders? Or can I safely delete the v1.0.3705 and v1.1.4322 folders that I see on my system?

Answer:

The .NET Framework 2.0 does install a few files to the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 folders, so you should not delete the v1.0.3705 and v1.1.4322 folders on your system. After shipping the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1, we found a few files that require configuration files in order to run correctly once the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed. .NET 2.0 setup pre-emptively installs these files even if you don't have the .NET Framework 1.0 and/or 1.1 installed in case you end up installing either of them at some later time. This is a bit of a strange setup behavior, but it is necessary in order to ensure correct side-by-side functionality of the different versions of the .NET Framework.