Updated VS bootstrapper packages for .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 with post-SP2 GDR included

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This week, new Visual Studio 2008 bootstrapper packages were released for the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and the .NET Framework 3.0 SP2.  These packages are updated versions of the packages released last fall that I described in this blog post.  They contain the following changes:

  • The updated 2.0 SP2 bootstrapper package includes the installer packages for 2.0 SP2 and the update for 2.0 SP2 (KB958481), and it will chain both of these packages during the install process if they are not yet installed on the target system.
  • The updated 3.0 SP2 bootstrapper package includes the installer packages for 3.0 SP2 and the update for 3.0 SP2 (KB958483), and it will chain both of these packages during the install process if they are not yet installed on the target system.
  • The packages are now available in all Visual Studio languages.
  • The packages now support both x86 and x64 processor architectures.

Here are some links for the updated .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 bootstrapper packages for VS 2008:

There are a few caveats to keep in mind when using the updated .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 bootstrapper packages:

  • They only support installing on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.  You cannot use them on Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.  If you need to install the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 or 3.0 SP2 on Vista or Windows Server 2008 as a part of your application installer, you should use the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 bootstrapper package that is included with Visual Studio 2008 SP1 instead.
  • They do not support the "Download components from the component vendor's web site." option.  This means when you build your installer and include one of these bootstrapper packages, you will see build warnings about the HomeSite attribute, and the full contents of the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and/or 3.0 SP2 installers will be included next to setup.exe in your build output.  If you would prefer to have download-on-demand functionality for the .NET Framework in your setup, then you should use the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 bootstrapper package instead.