Microsoft .NET Framework

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Click here to watch a demo of how Thinstall Helps .NET Developers

Technical Details about .NET Framework Linking

Microsoft .NET developers can use Thinstall to link the needed portions of the .NET Framework into a single EXE that runs without any installation. Programs can even run directly from CDROM.

System Requirements

Microsoft Windows 98 with Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition with Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition with Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows NT® 4 Service Pack 3 (or greater) with Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows 2000 (Guest or Admin Account) with Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
Microsoft Windows XP Home (Guest or Admin Account)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Guest or Admin Account)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Guest or Admin account)

Advantages


No separate .NET Framework installation required

Most computers today do not have the .NET Framework installed. How many customers will you lose because an additional 22MB must be downloaded and installed?

No system registry changes (works on locked-down machines)

Many corporate and educational machines do not allow the user to install new software that makes system registry changes. Normally, the .NET Framework cannot be installed without making these changes. How many customers will you lose because the .NET Framework cannot be installed?

No system32 DLLs need be installed

Install your program by copying a single file

Uninstall your program by deleting a single file

Programs can be run directly from CDROM

Application sizes are typically 4-8MB (download size and install size are the same)

Supply your own machine.config file to prevent "access denied" exceptions when your application runs from a network drive.

Your application will not use any files from other versions of .NET Framework that may have been installed - so there can never be a conflict or program error due to the Framework version.

Programs are protected from Intel and IL disassembly, debugger attachments, process memory dumps, and other hacking methods.

Program data files are protected from outside access and tampering (such as XML, JPG, etc files).

License conditions can be easily added to your to your program such as 30-day trials, machine-locking, and more.



Disadvantages

An external patching program (such as RTPatch) should be used for program updates to limit the download size of incremental updates.

Program startup speed can slow from 1 second to 2-20 seconds, depending on which compression options are used. Thinstall's Splash Screen Feature can be used to display a loading bitmap while your program is being loaded.

This form of .NET Framework redistribution is not yet officially blessed by microsoft.



How to create a packaged EXE:

1. Download and run the free trial version of Thinstall: http://thinstall.com/downloads (version 2.200 or higher)
2. When you get to the new project wizard, enter the directory where your EXE resides:




3. Thinstall will ask if you want to link the .NET Framework, answer yes



4. Click on the "Build!" button on the upper right portion of the Thinstall GUI: