MS .NET Framework

I'm removing unused/unwanted applications on a Sony Vaio (VGN-BX760) running XP SP3 and I noticed that there are four versions of MS .NET Framework installed:

- version 1.1
- version 2 SP2
- version 3 SP2
- version 3.5 SP1

Is it necessary to keep all of these versions or can I remove any of them?

Cheers!

 

got discussed some weeks before. yes, keep all of them. they're individual, independent.

 

Thanks for the feedback; is there any chance that you have a link to that thread? I've been able to locate that discussion but I've found others that seem to conflict with one another...

 

You only need .net 1.1 and 3.5 I think.

 

I'd keep them all for time's sake. But it depends on what programs you have installed.

 

Looks like I'll be safe and keep all of the versions but I would really like to delete what isn't necessary.

If anyone knows of a database that lists applications and the required .NET versions that are required to properly run them, I would be most appreciative if someone could point me to it.

Thanks again!

 

And you would be wrong. Some applications depend on a specific version of .Net framework. Remove the wrong one and the application breaks. (I use .Net framework in the applications I build. So I know this to be fact.)

Gary

 

This may be of interest:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/netfxbcl/thread/75f36997-e034-41fe-8429-5a926f43361c

So theoretically you only need 1.1 and 3.5, since 3.5 is an upgraded 3.0, which is an upgraded 2.0.

 

Thanks for the feedback. It sure would be nice to get some verification regarding this solution from either the peanut gallery or MS...

 

this is more for developers to know. that 3.0 and 3.5 use the same root engine than 2.0.

for the endusers, it's still you need all of them to be prepared.

i look at them like movie-media f.e.

if you want to watch a dvd, you need a dvd player. want to listen to music, a cd player. want to watch bluray, a bluray player. obviously, you can have all in one, but each functionality is still an own piece in there.

for end users, it's really simple: get all versions, they're individual. else, some apps might fail to start, when they depend on them.


for developers, there's more detail on how they built onto each other actually. but that doesn't matter for endusers.

 

Thanks for the clarification; I will not remove any iterations of the software.

 

The 3.5 package will install all of them.

 

it does, yes. that's because, internally, both 3.0 and 3.5 use features of 2.0 themselves.

and past xp, they got preinstalled anyways

 

keep them as you never know when you will run into a .net app and it does not slow the pc down it only takes a some space but if you install a new version let it do it's work as it will create new native code images(it only takes a few mins the first time when after that you won't notice it)