Summary

Synopsis

This article discusses the different options available to include the .NET Framework in an MSI based setup.

Discussion

It is possible to distribute the .NET Framework with your installation. However, this is not accomplished via a merge module. Rather, there is an option when building a release that allows you to bundle the .NET Framework.

Using this functionality, the Setup.exe file launches the .NET Framework redistributable .exe file that Microsoft released which installs the .NET Framework on the target machine before the installation is launched.

For related information on .NET, see the following documentation:

• Adding .NET Framework Support to an Installation Project
• The Release Wizard: .NET Framework Panel

Additional Information

Installation of the .NET Framework is supported by the bootstrap launcher, the Setup.exe, and is not a part of the MSI file which is the installation package itself. This means that any conditions built into the MSI package cannot be used to control the installation of the .NET Framework.

Microsoft has released a .NET Framework merge module entitled dotNETFXRedist_x86.msm or dotNETFXRedist_x86_enu.msm, but this merge module is intended for reference purposes only. It does not contain the actual files needed to install the .NET Framework. Therefore, it should not be included in your project. Until Microsoft releases a merge module to redistribute the .NET Framework, it is recommended to use the steps indicated above to include the Microsoft .NET Framework redistributable .exe file instead.

Note: The information contained with in this article is intended for use with MSI-based installations. If you wish to use the InstallScript project type, the .NET Framework can be included by inserting the Microsoft .NET Framework Object.

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