Oh, you're absolutely right about that. Using IE6 is akin to taking your kid's Big Wheel onto the freeway.
My problem has been that I don't have a standalone installer for IE8, the last version available for Windows XP. I have to get it through Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Google found at least one download, but it's not hosted at Microsoft. I don't know if I should use it.
Point of fact, I do not use IE on this older machine at all, except for updating Windows software. I use Firefox with NoScript.
As for .NET Framework: What a mess. Even if coding techniques undermined backward compatibility for later versions, and we cannot simply install version 4 alone, each major release should have been packaged a bit better before XP support ended. No one should be updating those distributables for an hour or more for each installation. It should be easier. And it is. With Windows 7.
If you are starting from scratch, and want standalone installers, I think you need these three:
► Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package [23.1 MB]
"The .NET Framework version 1.1 redistributable package includes everything you need to run applications developed using the .NET Framework."
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26
► Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service pack 1 (Full Package) [231 MB]
"Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 service pack 1 is a cumulative update that contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and includes .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 2 and .NET Framework 3.0 service pack 2 cumulative updates."
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=25150
► Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Standalone Installer) [48.1 MB]
"The Microsoft .NET Framework 4 redistributable package installs the .NET Framework runtime and associated files that are required to run and develop applications to target the .NET Framework 4."
https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/Download/details.aspx?id=17718
I've had trouble downloading these with Firefox, but not Internet Explorer. Microsoft may attempt to slip in additional downloads, or change your homepage and search engine—so pay attention! In addition to those three files, there are standalone installers for various service packs and updates, but I haven't figured out which ones to get based on the brief and outdated descriptions. Instead, I let Windows Update deal with it.
I install them in numerical sequence and update until there are no updates available. That is, I will install 1.1 and update it until there are no updates available before installing 3.5. I follow the same routine before installing 4. I restart the system after installing each package. I also restart the system between each set of downloaded updates.
Below are posts I found on Aaron Stebner's WebLog and Super User that directed me to install 1.1, 3.5, and 4. People will argue all day over what you do or do not need, but there's a pattern behind it all that points out basic requirements.
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Question:
I recently installed the .NET Framework 4 on my system. Afterwards, I looked in Add/Remove Programs, and it shows that I have all of the following versions of the .NET Framework installed on my system:
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 SP2
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile
Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Extended
Do I need any of these older versions of the .NET Framework now that I’ve installed the .NET Framework 4, or can I safely uninstall them?
Answer:
In general, my recommendation is to leave the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2, 3.5 SP1 and 4 installed on your computer.
Unlike previous versions of the .NET Framework, the .NET Framework 4 does not allow an application that was built with previous versions of the .NET Framework to migrate forward and run on it if the previous version is not installed. If you are using any applications that were built with any version of the .NET Framework before version 4, then I recommend leaving both the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and the .NET Framework 4 installed.
You cannot use the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 unless you also have the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 installed. Therefore, you will not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 or 3.0 SP2 if you have the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed. If you try to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 or 3.0 when the .NET Framework 3.5 is installed, their uninstall processes will block and tell you that they are needed by another application on your system.
The .NET Framework 1.0 and .NET Framework 1.1 can be installed side-by-side with the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 and 4. Most applications that were created for the .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1 will automatically use the .NET Framework 2.0 instead if it is installed on the system. In most cases, that means you do not need to keep the .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1 installed on your system if you already have the .NET Framework 2.0 installed.
However, there are some applications that are configured to require a specific version of the .NET Framework, even if later versions of the .NET Framework are installed. If you have any applications like that on your system and try to run them without installing the .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1, you will get an error message that looks like the following:
---------------------------
MyApplication.exe - .NET Framework Initialization Error
---------------------------
To run this application, you first must install one of the following versions of the .NET Framework:
v1.1.4322
Contact your application publisher for instructions about obtaining the appropriate version of the .NET Framework.
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
In the above error message, the version number will be v1.0.3705 if you need to install the .NET Framework 1.0, and it will be v1.1.4322 if you need to install the .NET Framework 1.1.
If you end up seeing any error messages like this, you can re-install the .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1 in order to resolve the errors. If you don't end up seeing any error messages like this, then you don't need to worry about re-installing the .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1.
—Aaron Stebner
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There are 4 distinct versions of the .net framework.
.NET 1
.NET 1.1
.NET 2
.NET 4
All of those can be installed and uninstalled independently. This is where it starts to get interesting! .NET 3 was introduced (along with a service pack to .NET 2) and was an additional set of libraries to it. .NET 3.5 followed this trend (with a second service pack for .NET 2 and a service pack for .NET 3) and again required .NET 2 as it just extended it.
The latest release is entirely standalone and does not require previous versions. It is mostly backwards compatible so it is possible to get your old applications to work on it.
Whether you need any of them or not depends on what you're running. Most applications out there are still built for .NET 2 to 3.5 so installing 3.5 will cover you for that. I would recommend installing 4 as looking forwards that's what Microsoft want people to be using.
.NET 4.5 (and 4.5.1, 4.5.2) is an in-place update to .NET 4.
—Matthew Steeples
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.Net Framework 3.5 installation also installs all the previous versions from 2.0 and onward. Version 1.1 is an exception and has to be installed separately.
Since you seem to need the 3.5 SP1 version, this will also install all .Net versions from 2.0 and upwards. So you really have no choice about it, and attempting to uninstall one version may cause problems with the other versions that build upon it.
As there are very few products left that require .Net 1.1, one can wait with its installation until there is a real need for it. As it is not automatically installed, and if it is already installed, this means that it is required by some product that you have installed (unless you are on XP, where it is installed by default).
You have not mentioned .Net 4.0, but with this version Microsoft has tried to reduce the size of the software by not including all the previous versions. .Net 4.0 is therefore smaller, and is supposed to be backward-compatible with all previous versions from 1.1 and onwards. So in theory it is the only one you need.
—harrymc
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