How to create an installable layout for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2

A while back, I wrote a set of instructions that can be used to create a network install point for the Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions (because the only thing available for download is an ISO file that has to be burned to CD, or a web download bootstrapper that requires network connectivity during setup in order to work correctly).

Recently, I was asked how to create a network install point for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 using similar instructions (because currently, the only available downloadable package for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 is a web download bootstrapper and this is not always useful for redistribution scenarios if you want to not require internet connectivity).  I decided to write up a set of instructions to do this.

There are a couple of important caveats to keep in mind when using these instructions:

  • These instructions are specific to the beta 2 version of the .NET Framework 3.5.  They will not work once the final release of the .NET Framework 3.5 is ready, so if you are reading this post and want to create a layout for the final release, do not use these steps.  I will post updated steps when the product ships and add a link to the new steps to this post to hopefully reduce confusion.
  • Depending on your scenario, you can download only a subset of the packages listed below if you would like to try to conserve disk space on your network or CD-based install point.  For example, if you do not plan to support Windows Vista, you can skip the packages that have Windows Vista in the name.  Also, if you only need to support x86 or x64 but not both, you can selectively download only the x86 or only the x64 packages.
  • If you do not download one or more of the packages below and copy them into your network layout, the .NET Framework 3.5 setup wrapper will try to download the packages for you automatically if it detects that your system needs the package.  If this happens and the system does not have an active internet connection, setup will fail.

The following steps will allow you to manually assemble an installable layout for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2:

  1. Create a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2 (or one of your own choosing)
  2. Download the web download bootstrapper for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 and save it to the c:\netfx35_beta2 folder created in step 1 above
  3. For each of the components listed below, follow the set of additional steps listed below to download them and place them in the correct location

.NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx20 and download all of the following files into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlinks come from the [gencomp760] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx20 and download all of the following files into this folder:

Notes:

  • The above fwlinks come from the [gencomp761] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.
  • The payload of the x64 version of the .NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 includes the payload of the x86 version in addition to some x64-specific files.  This is because the .NET Framework 2.0 x64 version includes both 32-bit and 64-bit payload.

.NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetmsp\x86 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp750] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetmsp\x64 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp751] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 3.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download all of the following files into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlinks come from the [gencomp780] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 3.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download all of the following files into this folder:

Notes:

  • The above fwlinks come from the [gencomp781] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.
  • The payload of the x64 version of the .NET Framework 3.0 with Service Pack 1 includes the payload of the x86 version in addition to some x64-specific files.  This is because the .NET Framework 3.0 x64 version includes both 32-bit and 64-bit payload.

.NET Framework 3.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetmsp\x86 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp752] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 3.0 with Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetmsp\x64 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp753] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 3.5 for all operating systems (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx35\x86 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp301] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

.NET Framework 3.5 for all operating systems (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx35\x64 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp302] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

RGB Rasterizer (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp136] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

RGB Rasterizer (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp137] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

MSXML 6.0 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30\x86 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp707] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

MSXML 6.0 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30\x64 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp708] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

WIC for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp209] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

WIC for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp210] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

XPS for Windows XP (x86)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp211] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

XPS for Windows XP (x64)  

Make a new folder named c:\netfx35_beta2\dotnetfx30 and download the following file into this folder:

Note:  The above fwlink comes from the [gencomp212] section of the file baseline.dat that is located inside of dotnetfx35setup.exe.

<update date="8/16/2007"> Fixed incorrect links in the .NET Framework 2.0 with Service Pack 1 (x86) section above </update>