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XFxDetect - A utility to detect which versions of .Net are installed

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4.89/5 (45 votes)
12 Mar 2011CPOL3 min read 92.1K   1.3K   97   25
XFxDetect inspects registry and file system of local or remote computer to determine which versions of .Net Framework are installed.

Introduction

I wrote XFxDetect to help in diagnosing problems with .Net installations, because I found that some of the available diagnostic tools did a very superficial job, reporting that a .Net version was installed when it obviously was not. There are many web sites - on MSDN and private blogs - that document the registry locations and folders used by the .Net Frameworks. What was needed, I felt, was utility that cross-checked registry locations with what actually existed in file system folders. This is what XFxDetect attempts to do.

Note that XFxDetect is only a diagnostic tool - it makes no attempt to repair or modify any registry setting or file.

How It Works

When you run XFxDetect, it scans first registry and then file system for evidence of .Net Frameworks (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5) and their service packs. Any discrepancy between registry and what exists on disk is immediately apparent.

screenshot

You can also view details of which registry settings and folders are being checked:

screenshot

screenshot

The Settings dialog allows you to select remote computer and to enable logging:

screenshot

After selecting remote computer, click on Refresh to display the results:

screenshot

XFxDetect Log File

The log file records information gathered by XFxDetect:

screenshot

In the above screenshot, the five released versions of the .Net Framework (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5) are highlighted (0 = not detected, 1 = detected). Each line indicates source of data (local or remote computer name), and whether information was collected from registry or file system.

Accessing Remote Computers

The Settings dialog (see screenshot above) allows you to select remote computer by entering computer name and, optionally, name of file share. The file share name is used to access files on the remote computer's drive where .Net Framework files are installed. Typically, this is C: drive. In some corporate environments, C: drive is set up with standard share name, such as "C". You may have to enter password before you can access remote drive - quick way to check this is to use Windows Explorer to access C: drive on remote computer. If you need to enter username and password, you will be asked for them, and then you can run XFxDetect to gather information from remote computer.

Accessing remote computer registry and file system may require you to start some services that are not normally running. In the following screenshot from Vista, three services needed to be started before access was possible:

screenshot

Limitations

  • Currently only the standard .Net Framework folders are checked.

References

Revision History

Version 2.0 — 2011 March 2

  • Added support for .NET 4.0
  • Converted to VS2008

Version 1.0 — 2007 June 8

  • Initial public release

Usage

This software is released under the Code Project Open License (CPOL). You are free to use this software in any way you like, except that you may not sell this source code. This software is provided "as is" with no expressed or implied warranty. I accept no liability for any damage or loss of business that this software may cause.



License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)


Written By
Software Developer (Senior) Hans Dietrich Software
United States United States
I attended St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto, with the intention of becoming a priest. A friend in the University's Computer Science Department got me interested in programming, and I have been hooked ever since.

Recently, I have moved to Los Angeles where I am doing consulting and development work.

For consulting and custom software development, please see www.hdsoft.org.






Comments and Discussions

 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
Prasad Khandekar23-Jul-13 23:09
professionalPrasad Khandekar23-Jul-13 23:09 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
AlphaDeltaTheta2-Jun-13 2:12
AlphaDeltaTheta2-Jun-13 2:12 
AnswerRe: My vote of 5 Pin
Kenneth Kasajian25-Jul-13 16:07
Kenneth Kasajian25-Jul-13 16:07 
GeneralRe: My vote of 5 Pin
AlphaDeltaTheta26-Jul-13 15:51
AlphaDeltaTheta26-Jul-13 15:51 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
ledtech313-Mar-13 4:07
ledtech313-Mar-13 4:07 
Question2 more Links Pin
ledtech313-Mar-13 4:06
ledtech313-Mar-13 4:06 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
gndnet29-Jun-12 14:34
gndnet29-Jun-12 14:34 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
Kanasz Robert17-Jan-12 2:19
professionalKanasz Robert17-Jan-12 2:19 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
igetorix24-Mar-11 23:15
igetorix24-Mar-11 23:15 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
DigitalArts15-Mar-11 7:55
DigitalArts15-Mar-11 7:55 
GeneralClient Profile Pin
Severin Meyer3-Mar-11 4:39
Severin Meyer3-Mar-11 4:39 
GeneralRe: Client Profile Pin
Hans Dietrich13-Mar-11 14:16
mentorHans Dietrich13-Mar-11 14:16 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
akerd3-Mar-11 0:41
akerd3-Mar-11 0:41 
Questionupdates for .net 4.0 ?? Pin
kiquenet.com2-Mar-11 3:57
professionalkiquenet.com2-Mar-11 3:57 
AnswerRe: updates for .net 4.0 ?? Pin
Hans Dietrich2-Mar-11 19:47
mentorHans Dietrich2-Mar-11 19:47 
GeneralUsername and password for remote computers Pin
DimondWolfe19-Oct-09 5:23
DimondWolfe19-Oct-09 5:23 
QuestionRe: Username and password for remote computers Pin
David Crow8-Mar-11 6:22
David Crow8-Mar-11 6:22 
AnswerRe: Username and password for remote computers Pin
DimondWolfe8-Mar-11 6:33
DimondWolfe8-Mar-11 6:33 
GeneralV6.0 Doesn't Compile Pin
Joe Sonderegger18-Jun-07 19:50
Joe Sonderegger18-Jun-07 19:50 
GeneralRe: V6.0 Doesn't Compile Pin
Hans Dietrich19-Jun-07 0:34
mentorHans Dietrich19-Jun-07 0:34 
GeneralRe: V6.0 Doesn't Compile Pin
Southmountain21-Jan-20 3:13
Southmountain21-Jan-20 3:13 
GeneralBut don't you need .NET... Pin
Marc Clifton11-Jun-07 2:06
mvaMarc Clifton11-Jun-07 2:06 
GeneralRe: But don't you need .NET... Pin
Nordin Rahman11-Jun-07 4:25
Nordin Rahman11-Jun-07 4:25 
GeneralRe: But don't you need .NET... Pin
Nish Nishant11-Jun-07 4:33
sitebuilderNish Nishant11-Jun-07 4:33 

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