Updated .NET Framework setup verification tool that addresses application compatibility issues

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A little while ago, I posted an updated version of the .NET Framework setup verification tool that enabled support for the .NET Framework 4.5 and Windows 8.  I used the Windows 8 Release Preview to test that version of the tool, and an application compatibility shim was added to the final version of Windows 8 that causes the .NET Framework setup verification tool to silently exit and return success.  This was done to address application compatibility issues such as this.

This week, I’ve posted an updated version of the .NET Framework setup verification tool that has a couple of key changes to react to the application compatibility issues that led to this shim being added to Windows 8.  Here is a brief summary of the changes:

Updated pass/fail logic

The logic for determining success and failure for .NET Framework setup verification has been updated.  Previously, the tool would report errors if any file that was supposed to be installed by a given version of the .NET Framework was not found on the computer.  Now, missing files are logged as warnings instead of errors because many of the files installed by the .NET Framework are not critical to the functionality of the .NET Framework.  The only things that will cause the verification tool to report an error are the following:

  • Missing registry keys that are used by applications to detect whether or not the .NET Framework is installed (as documented in the deployment guide for each version of the .NET Framework).
  • Failure to run a sample application that verifies that the .NET Framework runtime can be started correctly.

Silent mode has been removed

The .NET Framework setup verification tool no longer supports running in silent mode.  While it was never officially supported to do so, some applications have redistributed older versions of the .NET Framework setup verification tool in their installers.  They would run the verification tool in silent mode, and in some cases they would prevent the user from installing their application if the verification tool reported any failures.  This has caused application compatibility issues (such as this) as new versions of Windows and the .NET Framework have been released.

You can download the latest version of the .NET Framework setup verification tool by using the links in the User’s Guide.  As always, if you run into any issues or have any feedback about the .NET Framework setup verification tool, please let me know by posting a comment on one of my blog posts or by using the contact form.