Can't install Dot Net 3.5 SP1

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I’m running XP SP2 which is up to date with all patches. The problem started when I tried to install Turbo Tax 2009. It checked for .Net 3.5 SP1 and since I only had 2.0 SP2 installed, it tried to install the newer version and failed with no explanation why. I DL’d the redistrbutable 3.5 SP2 and it also failed to install with an error that version 3.0 was not installed. OK, I DL’d 3.0 redistributable and it failed with an error that Windows Communication Foundation was not installed. I don’t know when that SHOULD have been installed but on my other computer with .Net 2.0 installed WCF is also. Then I saw several possible solutions that there was no permissions to the following key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesEventlogSecurityServiceModel 3.0.0.0

That key doesn’t exist on the computer I’m having the problems with but it does on my other computer. I tried removing .Net 2.0 SP2 through control panel but it hangs at about 60% complete so I can’t even remove it. There are literally thousands of posts but I have yet to find a solution that works for me. Please, any suggestions?

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Hi Dave,

try this: download the dotnet clean-up tool provided by Aaron Stebner from

http://blogs.msdn.co…es/8904493.aspx

clean up tool

Reboot into safe mode and run the tool. When it finishes, run it again (the second time because dotnet is a particularly persistent sucker and an s.o.b. to get rid of. While still in safe mode, remove – via the Control Panel add/Remove applet – any of the applications, including Turbo Tax that you may still have installed or partly so, and which relied on any of the instances of the .Net Framework. (Incidentally, you probably know this, but remember that each version of the Framework is independent of the others. The various versions do not build on each other and ‘aggregate’ functions, so that any application that, for example, relied on .Net v2 will not work again until that version of the Framework is re-installed and installing only the latest version will not suffice.)

Before you reboot into normal mode, setup a checkdisk to run on your drive during boot up. (If you don’t know how to do this – In Windows Explorer open ‘My Computer’ and right-click on the icon of your drive, choosing “Properties’. In Properties, choose the Tools tab and click the “Check Now…” button. You will see a dialog from Windows stating that checkdisk cannot be run on that disk immediately because it is in use and do you wish to schedule the routine during startup? Choose ‘Yes’ and then ‘OK’ in the Properties box. This is the method for XP, which you have – the dialogs and method are slightly different in Vista and Win7.)

Once you are back at your Desktop, disable any active security applications unless it is a well-behaved application like ESET. If you do disable your security applications, remember to disconnect from the network/internet, first by switching off your modem/router/switch.

Now install any versions of .Net that you need from install files which you will have already downloaded and saved to disk. NEVER install .Net files online using the Active-X run command in Internet Explorer. Start from the lowest version you want to install – remember, you don’t need all versions if you don’t have applications that use particular versions. Standalone installers for the various versions of .Net are readily downloadable from Microsoft. Current installers should have most recent security updates already incorporated.

Next, reinstall your Turbo Tax 2009. Make sure it is working as it should before you reinstall any other .Net dependent applications.

Finally, restart your security applications, go back on line and go to the Windows or Microsoft Update site and immediately update all .Net versions with any available security updates and hotfixes. (It is actually best to do this updating in Safe mode, if possible, but I can’t immediately recall whether Windows Update will run in Safe mode in XP. If it does, always boot into Safe mode before running any security patches, hotfixes and updates for any version of .Net and related software.)

Believe me, you’re not alone because many thousands of people all around the globe suffer these dotnet woes with every new version and security update.

For future use, I would also consider downloading and installing a brilliant freeware application called Revo Uninstaller which is especially clever at getting rid of stubborn leftover bits from installations and associated registry keys – www.revouninstaller.com

I hope this helps you and solves your problems.

Brian De B

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While still in safe mode, remove – via the Control Panel add/Remove applet – any of the applications, including Turbo Tax that you may still have installed or partly so, and which relied on any of the instances of the .Net Framework.

Do you have any suggestions on how to perform an inventory to identify which of my installed programs rely on which version of .Net?

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Do you have any suggestions on how to perform an inventory to identify which of my installed programs rely on which version of .Net?

Mate, that is a VERY good question and I wish I had an answer for you. As far as I know, there is no list somewhere of those developers who have incoporated .Net technologies in their applications, much less which versions of .Net they might have used. I am also unaware of any developer who has written an application that would provide such an inventory on a case-by-case basis (or any other basis), but you have certainly prodded the little gray cells of mine to look into developing such an app if it is even possible (I can see nightmare scenarios of reverse-engineering popping up).

All I can suggest is that you get busy with Bing or Google search and scour the web for ideas, lists and notations. Try also searching the Microsoft site and the Microsoft Developer Network site (MSDN) for anything related to .Net. You could also look at the websites of all the third-party processes you have installed. If .Net Framework reliance was built in, the developers will mention it in their web pages.

I’d also suggest that, from here on in, whenever you install something new that relies on a particular version of .Net Framework technology, that you make a note of it at the time.

I wish I could be more help, but thank you for the interesting question.

Brian De B

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Hi Dave,

try this: download the dotnet clean-up tool provided by Aaron Stebner from

I hope this helps you and solves your problems.

Brian De B

Brian – that quote is from your original reply.

I decided to give the cleanup tool a go. When it completed running everything looked OK. No entries left in add/remove, no error messages while it was running. I looked at the log files and the last entry in all of them said clean up failed for all versions!!!

What the heck, I ran the installation for .NET 3.5 SP1 anyway and this time it installed with no problem. I guess its a good install. I’m attaching the log files for the clean up tool if you care to look at them. I don’t understand them. It’s just puzzling that they say the cleanup failed but it appears to have succeeded.

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Wow! Thanks for that detailed reply. One last question. Do you know if one of the .NETs should have installed the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). It is installed on my notebook and both that and the desktop are running XP SP2. They both had .NET1.1 and 2.0 installed but WCF is not on the desktop. And I wonder why 3.5 was failing to install saying 3.0 was not installed if they are independent of each other (and that’s another stupid thing). Thank again.

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Wow! Thanks for that detailed reply. One last question. Do you know if one of the .NETs should have installed the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). It is installed on my notebook and both that and the desktop are running XP SP2. They both had .NET1.1 and 2.0 installed but WCF is not on the desktop. And I wonder why 3.5 was failing to install saying 3.0 was not installed if they are independent of each other (and that’s another stupid thing). Thank again.

Sometimes the .NET installation information gets corrupted. This seems to occur if various versions or service packs are installed in a sequence different than what Microsoft originally released. When this corruption happens often the only way to get it straightened out is use the uninstall tool and start from scratch with the installations. It is a time consuming pain. That has worked for me on a couple of different machines.

I would suggest that you go easy until it is straightened out. Othewise, this could become a repeat process.

Joe

--Joe

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Wow! Thanks for that detailed reply. One last question. Do you know if one of the .NETs should have installed the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). It is installed on my notebook and both that and the desktop are running XP SP2. They both had .NET1.1 and 2.0 installed but WCF is not on the desktop. And I wonder why 3.5 was failing to install saying 3.0 was not installed if they are independent of each other (and that’s another stupid thing). Thank again.

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is part of the .Net Frameworks core technologies and is always installed if .Net (any version) is correctly installed.

May I ask, have you ever installed and run any of the many so-called ‘registry-cleaner’ applications (those that claim to ‘clean up’ your registry, tweak it, optimize it, etc)? The reason I ask is that these dreadful applications are notorious for removing essential temporary entries that various instances of .Net create between sessions and which are needed for .Net versions not only to work properly but also to install or update properly. When you add to the complexity of the mix the added issues of installing Service Packs (I notice you are only at SP2? why?**) and their impact on .Net installations, mixing the mash with a third-party application rooting around in the Registry is a recipe for shedloads of trouble. If you have never used a ‘registry cleaning’ application, then congratulations – you are VERY wise. If you have, please uninstall or at least NEVER use any such third-party application you may have, ever again. Those applications are unnecessary, often are counter-productive, are very often dangerous, and even when free are not worth the price. None of them – no matter how attractive or insistent the advertising or grandiose the claims made for their ‘benefits’.

**on the matter of SP2, is there a special reason why you have not installed the SP3 update? While it is true that if your XP SP2 PC is fully up-to-date with all available security updates, hotfixes and patches, then you pretty much have most of what SP3 will deliver, it is also true that installing SP3 will also give one or two things your system will otherwise not have and, more importantly, will also affect how newer security patches and hotfixes are provided for your system and certain updates for drivers and many third-party applications, too. The SP3 update also makes the relevant changes in the correct order and priorities that JoeP alludes to in his reply. Consider installing SP3, but not until your .Net woes are sorted out and you are happy with the way things are running. If you do eventually install SP3 for XP, my STRONG advice is to download the standalone installer from Microsoft to your hard disk. Create a restore point. Setup a checkdisk startup check as described earlier. Reboot and allow checkdisk to run. When back at your desktop, set another restore point. Reboot into Safe Mode, non-networked. When in Safe Mode, turn off all security applications and any running System Tray/Notification Area background applications (if any launched in Safe Mode – check using Task Manager’s processes tab). Launch the standalone SP3 installer and let it complete. While still in Safe Mode, set up checkdisk again (I know this seems overkill but I promise that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure’ is true). Reboot into normal mode allowing checkdisk to complete during startup. Back at your normal desktop make sure that everything is working smoothly, your system will update, and your .Net applications will run. Remember those Restore Points you set? This is where they will be handy if you find any problems. You can restore to one of those two previous points without having to do uninstalls, use cleanup tools, and so on. If you do need to Restore, and then try to install SP3 again, use the same method described here.

Good luck.

Brian De B

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Yes I do use CCleaner to periodically go through the registry and all the other items it looks at. Up until now I’ve had no reason to wonder about it and I’m not so sure it is the cause of this problem since there are so many other users out there with .NET problems.

As to why I’ve never installed SP3, Windows Secrets came out with this article about problems with it

http://www.windowssecrets.com/2008/09/11/02-Dont-let-XP-Service-Pack-3-hose-your-system

back in September of last year so I never felt the need to put it on. I actually have had very, very few problems with my system. This is the biggest by far. It may be time to do an out of the box restore (its a Dell) and just start over. You can accumulate a lot of garbage over the years and now may be the time to really clean it up. My documents are all stored on another drive so I don’t have to worry about them. And while I have a lot of applications installed I probably only use 15% of them. I could get by with about 5 core apps, including Open Office vs. MS Office 2003 that I now use. I use gmail for mail, reader and calendars so configuring a client is a non-issue. Reinstalling the printers and scanner would be the biggest job. Thanks for all the info. You’ve been a tremendous help.

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