How do I make a custom .net client profile installer?

Question

For .net 3.5 SP1, Microsoft have the new client profile which installs only a subset of .net 3.5 SP1 on to Windows XP user's machines.

I'm aware of how to make my assemblies client-profile ready. And I've read the articles on how to implement an installer for ClickOnce or MSI.

But I've been using Inno Setup for my project so far and I'd like to continue to use it (as an Express user, I can't easily make MSIs), I need to know how to use the client-profile installer in a custom environment.

There is an article on a Deployment.xml schema, but no indication of how to write one, package it or anything else. Can someone explain this process? Finding the articles I linked to alone was a painful search experience.

Answer 1

Can you clarify: Are you trying to write an installer for your app, which depends on the Client-Profile, or are you trying to write a custom installer for the client-profile?

I haven't used it personally, but if it's anything like the dotnetfx 1 and 2 msi's, you basically have to just invoke it's executable yourself from your own .exe file, or from an Msi BEFORE the InstallExecuteSequence starts up - you can't "embed" those in your own app, MS go out of their way to tell you not to do that due to suckage of MSI.

Answer 2

Client profile works only on clean XP. If your user as .Net 1 or 2 installed, client profile wont install...

You have an offline version (integrating Full .Net3.5 Install in case Client Wont install) 200 to 300Mo don't remember Online version will get required files.

You can call a silent install from the first steps of your install.

Answer 3

some company make small farmework and you can make in your software.

Answer 4

Microsoft has now shipped the Client Profile Configuration Designer (Beta).

This designer lets you edit the XML files with some limitations, this isn't a 'Google beta' by any means.

Information and download