Aaron Stebner's WebLog

Updating the last modified time to prevent Windows Installer from updating an unversioned file

2013-05-23T23:11:07Z

Someone recently asked me a question about the unversioned file replacement scenarios that I wrote about a while ago in this blog post. The scenario that they described to me is similar to one that we faced when building the installer for the XNA Game Studio components that ship in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0, so I wanted to provide an overview of our problem and the solution we implemented in case it is useful to anyone else.

The problem we faced was that version B of our product (the XNA components in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0) upgrades several components that are shared by version A (the XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh). One of the components is an MSBuild .targets file, which is an unversioned file. Version B ships a version of the .targets file that is backwards compatible with Version A, so we wanted the installer for version B to overwrite the .targets file if a user installs version A and then version B. However, we did not want the installer for version A to overwrite (and downgrade) the .targets file if a user installs version B and then version A.

In order to prevent Windows Installer from overwriting this unversioned file, the last modified time had to be different than the creation time (as documented here). This feels a bit dirty, but we ended up solving this problem by implementing a custom action in version B of our product to call the SetFileTime function to update the last modified time of the .targets file after installing it. This causes version A of our product to not overwrite the file if a user installs version B and then version A. The .targets file is in its own Windows Installer component, which is reference counted by Windows Installer so that the .targets file is left behind after uninstalling either version of the product. Since we designed version B of the .targets file to be backwards compatible, it would continue to work even if a user installs version B, installs version A, and then uninstalls version B (which leaves them with version A of the product installed but version B of the .targets file installed).

Cannot install .NET Framework 1.0 service packs if .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 is installed

2013-04-16T14:28:45Z

There are some known compatibility issues between .NET Framework 4 and 4.5 setup and .NET Framework 1.0 setup. As a result, installing the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 will set a registry key that prevents .NET Framework 1.0 setup from running afterwards. That means that if you need to install both the .NET Framework 1.0 and 4 or 4.5 on the same computer, you need to install the .NET Framework 1.0 first, then install the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5.

I ran into a similar issue recently that I want to highlight as well because I didn’t find any official documentation about this behavior. The registry key set by .NET Framework 4 and 4.5 setup will also prevent .NET Framework 1.0 service packs from running afterwards, even if you already have the .NET Framework 1.0 installed. That means that if you need to install any .NET Framework 1.0 service packs and you have the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 installed, you will need to do the following:

Uninstall the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5
Install the .NET Framework 1.0 service pack
Re-install the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5

Behind the scenes, .NET Framework 1.0 setup includes a block that is implemented as a Type 19 custom action. This custom action is sequenced so that it runs during initial install and repair. Installing a service pack does the equivalent of a repair, which is why the block is triggered during service pack installation too.

System Update Readiness Tool is included as a part of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

2013-03-22T13:59:34Z

Recently, while investigating an issue related to a .NET Framework hotfix installation problem, I reviewed the contents of the System Update Readiness Tool knowledge base article. I noticed that the contents have been updated since the release of Windows 8. Instead of needing to download and run a separate tool, the diagnostic and repair functionality in the System Update Readiness Tool is now built into Windows in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. This change should make it much easier to investigate and fix issues on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 such as the one I described a while ago in this blog post.

You can find more detailed information about how to use System Update Readiness Tool functionality in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 in this blog post from the Windows servicing team.

More information about the versions of the .NET Framework that ship with Windows 8

2013-02-03T05:52:00Z

Since the release of Windows 8 last fall, I’ve gotten a few questions about what versions of the .NET Framework ship with Windows 8 and how to install, uninstall and repair them. Most of this information is documented in other places, but I wanted to put together a brief summary and post some links to hopefully make this information easier to find.

Windows 8 and the .NET Framework 4.5

Windows 8 includes the .NET Framework 4.5 as a part of the OS. It is installed by default and it is not possible to remove it.

The .NET Framework 4.5 is an in-place upgrade for the .NET Framework 4, and applications built for the .NET Framework 4 will run if the .NET Framework 4.5 is present. As a result, there is no need to install the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 redistributable packages on Windows 8. If you attempt to run the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 redistributable installers on Windows 8, they will prevent you from installing the redistributable versions. See this knowledge base article for more information about this scenario.

Windows 8 and the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5

Windows 8 includes the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 as a part of the OS. They are not installed by default, and it is possible to add or remove it by using the Windows Features control panel. There is also an install-on-demand feature in Windows 8 that will prompt you to install the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 if you run an application that requires it.

If you attempt to run the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 redistributable installers on Windows 8, they will prevent you from installing the redistributable versions.

Here are links with more information about how to install the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 on Windows 8:

Installing the .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 8 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh506443.aspx
Troubleshooting .NET Framework 3.5 installation errors on Windows 8 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2734782

If you have an application that depends on the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5, here are links with more information about options for automating the installation on Windows 8:

<update date="2/8/2013"> Added a link to a knowledge base article with more information about scenarios where installing the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 redistributable package is blocked by Windows 8. </update>

Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8 is now available for download

2013-01-22T22:57:44Z

As announced earlier today on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, the Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8 has been released. The Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8 is a patch and not a standalone product, so you must install the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 or the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 before you can install this update. Here is some information to help you get started installing and using the Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8:

What’s new in the Window Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8:

Windows Phone 7.8 emulator image.
Windows Phone 7.8 256MB emulator image.
Bundled install of the features included in the Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Update if you have the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 installed.

Download and getting started links for the Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8:

Link with more information about developing Xbox LIVE-enabled games for Xbox, Windows, Web, and Windows Phone

2013-01-17T02:11:17Z

Every once in a while, I see an email or a post on the forums from a developer who has created a game and wants to explore options for publishing it as an Xbox LIVE Arcade game or an Xbox LIVE-enabled game for Windows Phone, or Windows. There is a forum FAQ that we have been maintaining that contains some getting started links that will hopefully help developers who are interesting in learning more about this process. You can find the FAQ item at http://xboxforums.create.msdn.com/forums/t/3290.aspx.

In that FAQ, there are several links with more information about the Xbox LIVE Arcade program, the game submission process, and developing and submitting game pitches. Here are a few of the most useful getting started links:

Landing page for developing Xbox LIVE-enabled games for Xbox, Windows, Web and Windows Phone - http://www.xbox.com/en-US/developers
Landing page for developing games for Xbox LIVE Arcade - http://www.xbox.com/en-US/developers/xbox360/xbla
Landing page for the Xbox 360 Registered Developer program - http://www.xbox.com/en-US/developers/xbox360/registereddevelopers

Uninstalling the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 will break XNA Game Studio 4.0 and vice versa

2012-12-18T14:43:44Z

The XNA Game Studio components that are installed as a part of the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 have a setup bug that causes the uninstall process for the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 to break XNA Game Studio 4.0 and vice versa.

How to fix XNA Game Studio 4.0 if you uninstall the Windows Phone SDK 8.0

If you have both the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 and XNA Game Studio 4.0 installed and then uninstall the Windows Phone SDK 8.0, you will need to do the following to restore XNA Game Studio 4.0 functionality:

Go to the Programs and Features control panel and uninstall the item named Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 Refresh.
Go to the Programs and Features control panel and repair the item named Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh.

How to fix the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 if you uninstall XNA Game Studio 4.0

If you have both the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 and XNA Game Studio 4.0 installed and then uninstall the XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 component that is installed as a part of XNA Game Studio 4.0, you will need to repair the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 to restore XNA Game Studio functionality in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0.

XNA Windows Phone project templates are not available if Visual Studio 2012 is installed to a non-default path

2012-11-17T22:45:17Z

The XNA Game Studio component that ships with the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 has a setup bug that causes some of the project templates to be installed to an incorrect location if Visual Studio 2012 or the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 is installed to a non-default path. If you run into this issue, you can use the following steps to restore the missing project templates.

If you are using Visual Studio 2012 Professional, Premium or Ultimate:

Copy the following files from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\XNA Game Studio 4.0 to <Visual Studio non-default install path>\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\XNA Game Studio 4.0:

CSXnaWindowsPhoneGame-v4.0.zip
CSXnaWindowsPhoneLibrary-v4.0.zip
Copy the following files from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\VisualBasic\XNA Game Studio 4.0 to <Visual Studio non-default install path>\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\VisualBasic\XNA Game Studio 4.0:

VBXnaWindowsPhoneGame-v4.0.zip
VBXnaWindowsPhoneLibrary-v4.0.zip
From an elevated cmd prompt, run <Visual Studio install path>\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe /setup

If you are using Visual Studio 2012 Express for Windows Phone:

Copy the following files from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\VPDExpressExtensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\XNA Game Studio 4.0 to <Visual Studio non-default install path>\Common7\IDE\VPDExpressExtensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\XNA Game Studio 4.0:

CSXnaWindowsPhoneGame-v4.0.zip
CSXnaWindowsPhoneLibrary-v4.0.zip
Copy the following files from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\VPDExpressExtensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\VisualBasic\XNA Game Studio 4.0 to <Visual Studio non-default install path>\Common7\IDE\VPDExpressExtensions\Microsoft\XNA Game Studio 4.0\ProjectTemplates\VisualBasic\XNA Game Studio 4.0:

VBXnaWindowsPhoneGame-v4.0.zip
VBXnaWindowsPhoneLibrary-v4.0.zip
From an elevated cmd prompt, run <Visual Studio install path>\Common7\IDE\vpdexpress.exe /setup

XNA Windows Phone projects must be upgraded from 7.0 to 7.1 to use with the Windows Phone SDK 8.0

2012-11-04T05:46:16Z

The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 supports XNA Windows Phone game projects that target Windows Phone OS 7.1. It does not support XNA Windows Phone game projects that target Windows Phone OS 7.0. However, it does not block you from trying to open XNA projects that target Windows Phone OS 7.0. Instead, it will allow you to open the projects and try to build them, and then you will see error messages about missing reference assemblies.

In order to open and use your XNA projects that target Windows Phone OS 7.0 in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0, you must first upgrade them to target Windows Phone OS 7.1. You can perform this upgrade in one of the following ways:

If you do not have the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 installed, you can open your game project (*.csproj or *.vbproj) in a text editor such as Notepad and hand-edit it to upgrade it. You will need to set the following property:

<XnaRefreshLevel>1</XnaRefreshLevel>

If your project file does not yet have the XnaRefreshLevel property, you will need to add it to the PropertyGroup at the top of the project file and set it to 1. If your project file already has the XnaRefreshLevel property and it is set to 0, you will need to change it to 1.
If you have the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 installed, you can open your 7.0 project with the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 and upgrade it by using the menu item in the Visual Studio 2010 IDE. There are more detailed instructions in this documentation topic.

Windows Phone SDK 8.0 now available for download

2012-10-31T05:51:00Z

As announced earlier today on the Windows Phone Developer Blog and the Visual Studio Blog, the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 is now available for download. Here is some information to help you get started installing and using the Windows Phone SDK 8.0.

Download links

Web download page - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35471
Full ISO image - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=257234

Windows Phone SDK 8.0 release notes - http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/3/8/938A5074-461F-4E3D-89F4-5CE2F42C1E36/fulltril30/relnotes/Windows%20Phone%208%20Release%20Notes.htm

The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 is available in the same set of languages as the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 – Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

Documentation and getting started links

Windows Phone Dev Center - http://dev.windowsphone.com
Windows Phone documentation home - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402535(v=vs.105).aspx
Getting started with Windows Phone development - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402529(v=vs.105).aspx
What’s new in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/jj206940(v=vs.105).aspx

Installing the Windows Phone SDK 8.0

The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 must be installed on a Windows 8 x64 computer, and the computer must have a processor that supports Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) in order to fully function. You can use the tool at https://slatstatuscheck.codeplex.com/ to determine if your processor supports SLAT. If you install on a computer with a processor that does not support SLAT, then Windows Phone SDK 8.0 setup will complete, but the Windows Phone 8 emulator will not function correctly.

Unlike in previous releases, Windows Phone SDK 8.0 setup will not block attempts to install on Windows Server 2012. However, the Windows Phone 8 emulator will not function correctly on Windows Server 2012.

If you run into an installation or uninstallation failure for the Windows Phone SDK 8.0, you can use the log collection tool to gather your setup log files. This log collection tool will create a file named %temp%\vslogs.cab. Once you have gathered your setup log files, you can upload them to a file server of your choice (such as http://skydrive.live.com), and post a link to the log files in the forums to get additional support.

Notes about XNA Game Studio

The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 includes a subset of the XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh product. Specifically, it only allows you to develop Windows Phone games that use the XNA Framework. You can see more information about what XNA Framework functionality is supported in the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 in this documentation topic.

If you are developing Windows games or Xbox 360 games that use the XNA Framework, you must continue to use an edition of Visual Studio 2010 and one of the following products:

Both of the above products can be installed side-by-side with the Windows Phone SDK 8.0.

<update date="10/31/2012"> Fixed documentation links to point to MSDN instead of redirecting through the Windows Phone Dev Center. </update>