How do I detect what .NET Framework versions and s

Question

A similar question was asked here, but it was specific to .NET 3.5. Specifically, I'm looking for the following:

1. What is the correct way to determine which .NET Framework versions and service packs are installed?
2. Is there a list of registry keys that can be used?
3. Are there any dependencies between Framework versions?

Answer 1

There is a GUI tool available, ASoft .NET Version Detector, which has always proven highly reliable. It can create XML files by specifying the file name of the XML output on the command line.

You could use this for automation. It is a tiny program, written in a non-.NET dependent language and does not require installation.

Answer 2

For a 64-bit OS, the path would be:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\wow6432Node\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\

Answer 3

Here is a PowerShell script to obtain installed .NET framework versions

function Get-KeyPropertyValue($key, $property)
{
    if($key.Property -contains $property)
    {
        Get-ItemProperty $key.PSPath -name $property | select -expand $property
    }
}

function Get-VersionName($key)
{
   $name = Get-KeyPropertyValue $key Version
   $sp = Get-KeyPropertyValue $key SP
   $install = Get-KeyPropertyValue $key Install
   if($sp)
   {
        "$($_.PSChildName) $name SP $sp"
   }
   else{
    "$($_.PSChildName) $name"
   }
}

function Get-FrameworkVersion{
   dir "hklm:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\" |? {$_.PSChildName -like "v*"} |%{
    if( $_.Property -contains "Version")
    {
        Get-VersionName $_
    }
    else{
        $parent = $_
        Get-ChildItem $_.PSPath |%{
            $versionName = Get-VersionName $_
            "$($parent.PSChildName) $versionName"
            }
        }
    }
}


$v4Directory = "hklm:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full"
if(Test-Path $v4Directory)
{
    $v4 = Get-Item $v4Directory
    $version = Get-KeyPropertyValue $v4 Release
    switch($version){
        378389 {".NET Framework 4.5"; break;}
        378675 {".NET Framework 4.5.1 installed with Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2"; break;}
        378758 {".NET Framework 4.5.1 installed on Windows 8, Windows 7 SP1, or Windows Vista SP2"; break;}
        379893 {".NET Framework 4.5.2"; break;}
        { 393295, 393297 -contains $_} {".NET Framework 4.6"; break;}
        { 394254, 394271 -contains $_} {".NET Framework 4.6.1"; break;}
        { 394802, 394806 -contains $_} {".NET Framework 4.6.2"; break; }
    }
}

It was written based on How to: Determine Which .NET Framework Versions Are Installed. Please use THE Get-FrameworkVersion() function to get information about installed .NET framework versions.

Answer 4

In Windows 7 (it should work for Windows 8 also, but I haven't tested it):

Go to a command prompt

Steps to go to a command prompt:

1. Click Start Menu
2. In Search Box, type "cmd" (without quotes)
3. Open cmd.exe

In cmd, type this command

wmic /namespace:\\root\cimv2 path win32_product where "name like '%%.NET%%'" get version

This gives the latest version of NET Framework installed.

One can also try Raymond.cc Utilties for the same.

Answer 5

Using the Signum.Utilities library from SignumFramework (which you can use stand-alone), you can get it nicely and without dealing with the registry by yourself:

AboutTools.FrameworkVersions().ToConsole();
//Writes in my machine:
//v2.0.50727 SP2
//v3.0 SP2
//v3.5 SP1

Answer 6

There is an official Microsoft answer to this question at the following knowledge base article:

Article ID: 318785 - Last Review: November 7, 2008 - Revision: 20.1 How to determine which versions of the .NET Framework are installed and whether service packs have been applied

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to work, because the mscorlib.dll version in the 2.0 directory has a 2.0 version, and there is no mscorlib.dll version in either the 3.0 or 3.5 directories even though 3.5 SP1 is installed ... why would the official Microsoft answer be so misinformed?