How to unblock installation of the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 on Windows XP Media Center and Tablet PC Editions
Question:
I tried to install the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 and Visual Studio 2010 beta 1 on my Windows XP Media Center system. It fails to install with an error like the following:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Beta 1 cannot be installed because an incompatible version of .NET Framework (v1.0) is installed on the machine. For more information, see go.microsoft.com.
I don’t see any useful information in that link, and I don’t see an option to uninstall the .NET Framework 1.0 in the Add/Remove Programs control panel on my system, so I’m stuck.
Is there any way I can install the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 and VS 2010 beta 1 on my Windows XP Media Center system?
Answer:
Officially, the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 (and therefore VS 2010 beta 1) is not supported on Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. However, the wording in the readme is a bit vague. Item 2.1.1.1 in the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 readme says the following:
Note: You cannot install the .NET Framework 4 Beta 1 on operating systems that have the .NET Framework 1.0 built in.
As I previously wrote in this blog post, the .NET Framework 1.0 is installed as an OS component on Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and it cannot be uninstalled on those versions of Windows XP.
If you are running Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and want to be able to install the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 and VS 2010 beta 1, you can manually rename the following registry value:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\policy\v1.0]
If you do this, there are a few important caveats to keep in mind:
Renaming this registry key will cause the .NET Framework 1.0 to not function correctly in some cases. This is why I suggest renaming the key instead of deleting it. If you rename it, you can restore it in the future. You can rename it back immediately after installing the .NET Framework 4 beta 1, but this key will also prevent you from uninstalling the .NET Framework 4 beta 1, so if you do that, you will need to rename it again prior to uninstalling this beta.
Renaming this registry key was not officially tested by the Visual Studio and .NET Framework teams, so if you decide to do this, you do so at your own risk and you may run into unforeseen problems.
If you delete the above registry key and find that you need to restore it later in order to fix functional problems with the .NET Framework 1.0, you can use the steps in this blog post to repair the version of the .NET Framework 1.0 that is installed as an OS component on Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Alternatively, you can manually re-create the following registry key that is listed in this blog post:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Policy\v1.0]
3705 = 3321-3705
Article:
blogs.msdn.com
Microsoft's New Search at Bing.com Helps People Make Better Decisions
news.prnewswire.com
The next Google
Microsoft, home of the Zune, has just announced that they're going to launch Bing, a rebranding and reformatting of their search engine. So far, they've earmarked $100 million just for the marketing.
Bing, of course, stands for But It's Not Google. The problem, as far as I can tell, is that it is trying to be the next Google. And the challenge for Microsoft is that there already is a next Google. It's called Google.
Google is not seen as broken by many people, and a hundred million dollars trying to persuade us that it is, is money poorly spent. In times of change, the rule is this:
Don't try to be the 'next'. Instead, try to be the other, the changer, the new.
If Microsoft adds a few features and they prove popular, how long precisely will it take Google to mirror or even leapfrog those features?
With $100 million, you could build (or even buy) something remarkable. Something that spread online without benefit of a lot of yelling and shouting. Something that changes the game in a fundamental way. The internet works best when you build a network, not when you buy a brand. In fact, I can't think of one successful online brand that was built with cash.
[For a preview of the real next Google, check out this presentation of Google Wave. As a presentation geek, I need to point out that the intro (the first 2 minutes) is a fantastic example of how someone (you?) can stand up in front of 4,000 people with no slides and make a significant introduction with no hesitation and no apologies.]
Technorati Links • Save to del.icio.us (27 saves, tagged: google business marketing) • Digg This! (7 Diggs, 5 comments) • Email this • Stumble It! • Subscribe to this feed • Share on Facebook • Twit This!
Posted by Seth Godin on May 30, 2009 | Permalink
sethgodin.typepad.com |
