.NET Framework Cleanup Tool User’s Guide

.NET Framework Cleanup Tool User’s Guide

Introduction

This .NET Framework cleanup tool is designed to automatically perform a set of steps to remove selected versions of the .NET Framework from a computer.  It will remove files, directories, registry keys and values and Windows Installer product registration information for the .NET Framework.  The tool is intended primarily to return your system to a known (relatively clean) state in case you are encountering .NET Framework installation, uninstallation, repair or patching errors so that you can try to install again.

There are a couple of very important caveats that you should review before using this tool to remove any version of the .NET Framework from your system:

• This tool is designed as a last resort for cases where install, uninstall, repair or patch installation did not succeed for unusual reasons.  It is not a substitute for the standard uninstall procedure.  You should try the .NET Framework Repair Tool and then try the steps listed in this blog post before using this cleanup tool.
• This cleanup tool will delete shared files and registry keys used by other versions of the .NET Framework.  If you run the cleanup tool, you will need to perform a repair/re-install for all other versions of the .NET Framework that are on your computer or they will not work correctly afterwards.
• This cleanup tool will not remove versions of the .NET Framework that are installed as a part of Windows. The blog post at https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/astebner/2007/03/14/mailbag-what-version-of-the-net-framework-is-included-in-what-version-of-the-os/ contains a list of what version(s) of the .NET Framework are installed as a part of what versions of Windows.
• Additional support can be obtained by visiting the .NET Framework setup forum at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/netfxsetup/threads.

Download location

The .NET Framework cleanup tool is available for download at the following locations:

• http://cid-27e6a35d1a492af7.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Blog_Tools/dotnetfx_cleanup_tool.zip
• dotnetfx_cleanup_tool

The .zip file that contains the tool also contains a file named history.txt that lists when the most recent version of the tool was published and what changes have been made to the tool over time.

.NET Framework download locations

If you plan to re-install the .NET Framework after running the cleanup tool, you can download the various versions
of the .NET Framework from the following locations:

• .NET Framework 1.0 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d7158dee-a83f-4e21-b05a-009d06457787
• .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=6978d761-4a92-4106-a9bc-83e78d4abc5b
• .NET Framework 1.1 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=262D25E3-F589-4842-8157-034D1E7CF3A3
• .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=a8f5654f-088e-40b2-bbdb-a83353618b38
• .NET Framework 2.0 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5
• .NET Framework 2.0 with SP1 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=79BC3B77-E02C-4AD3-AACF-A7633F706BA5
• .NET Framework 2.0 with SP2 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5b2c0358-915b-4eb5-9b1d-10e506da9d0f
• .NET Framework 3.0 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=10CC340B-F857-4A14-83F5-25634C3BF043
• .NET Framework 3.0 with SP1 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=EC2CA85D-B255-4425-9E65-1E88A0BDB72A
• .NET Framework 3.5 – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531-508D977D32A6
• .NET Framework 3.5 with SP1 – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25150
• .NET Framework 4 Full – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17718
• .NET Framework 4 Client Profile – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24872
• .NET Framework 4.5 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30653
• .NET Framework 4.5.1 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40779
• .NET Framework 4.5.2 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42642
• .NET Framework 4.6 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48137
• .NET Framework 4.6.1 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49982
• .NET Framework 4.6.2 – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53344
• .NET Framework 4.7 – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55167
• .NET Framework 4.7.1 – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56116
• .NET Framework 4.7.2 – http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=863265