Prerequisites Dialog Box

This dialog box specifies which prerequisite components are installed, as well as how they are installed.

To access this dialog box, select a project node in Solution Explorer, and then, on the Project menu, click Properties. When the Project Designer appears, click the Publish tab. On the Publish page, click Prerequisites. For Setup projects, on the Project menu, click Properties. When the Property Pages dialog box appears, click Prerequisites.

Note

The prerequisite components that appear in the Prerequisites dialog box might differ from those in the following list. The prerequisite packages listed in the Prerequisites Dialog Box are set automatically the first time that you open the dialog box. If you subsequently change the project's target framework, you will have to select the prerequisites manually to match the new target framework.

Element

Description

Create setup program to install prerequisite components

Includes the prerequisite components in your application's Setup program (Setup.exe) so that they will be installed before your application, in order of dependency. By default, this option is selected. If it is not selected, no Setup.exe is created.

Choose which prerequisites to install

Specifies whether to install components such as .NET Framework, Crystal Reports, and so on.

For example, by selecting the check box next to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 (x86), you specify that the Setup program verify whether this component is installed on the target computer and install it if it is not already installed.

For detailed information about each prerequisite package, see the Prerequisites Information table later in this topic.

Check Microsoft Update for more redistributable components

Clicking this link takes you to the Microsoft Windows Update Web site to check for updates.

Download prerequisites from the component vendor's web site

Specifies that the prerequisite components be installed from the vendor's Web site. This is the default option.

Download prerequisites from the same location as my application

Specifies that the prerequisite components be installed from the same location as the application. This copies all the prerequisite packages to the publish location. For this option to work, the prerequisite packages must be on the development computer.

Download prerequisites from the following location

Specifies that the prerequisite components be installed from the location that you select. You can use the Browse button to select a location.

Prerequisites Information

Element

Description

.NET Framework 2.0 (x86)

This package installs .NET Framework 2.0 for 32-bit operating systems (x86). It is included with Visual Studio 2008, but it is not preinstalled on any operating system. It is required for all Visual Basic and Visual C# projects that are compiled explicitly for x86 operating systems and for which the target framework is set to .NET Framework 2.0. For more information, see Visual Studio Multi-Targeting Overview and Redistributing the .NET Framework.

.NET Framework 3.0 (x86)

This package installs .NET Framework 3.0 and 2.0 for all .NET Framework versions on 32-bit (x86) operating systems. It is included with Windows Vista, and it contains Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF). It is included with Visual Studio 2008, but it is not preinstalled on any operating system. It is required for Visual Basic and Visual C# projects that target .NET Framework 3.0. For more information, see Visual Studio Multi-Targeting Overview and Redistributing the .NET Framework.

.NET Framework 3.5

This package installs the following:

  • .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5

  • Support for all .NET Framework versions on 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) operating systems

  • Language packs for each .NET Framework version that is installed with the package

  • Service packs for .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0

.NET Framework 3.0 is included with Windows Vista, and .NET Framework 3.5 is included with Visual Studio 2008. .NET Framework 3.5 is required for all Visual Basic and Visual C# projects that are compiled for 32-bit operating systems and for which the target framework is set to .NET Framework 3.5, and for Visual Basic and Visual C# projects compiled for 64-bit operating systems. (IA64 is not supported.) Note that Visual Basic and Visual C# projects are compiled for any CPU architecture by default. For more information, see Visual Studio Multi-Targeting OverviewRedistributing the .NET Framework, and Deploying 64-bit Applications.

By default, this item is selected.

Crystal Reports Basic for Visual Studio 2008 (x86, x64)

This package installs Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2008, which enables you to create complex and professional reports by using a GUI-based program. You can connect your report to almost any database source, in addition to proxy data, such as a result set (for example, an ADO.NET DataSet object).

For more information about Crystal Reports, see Crystal Reports.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Report Viewer

This package installs report viewer controls that you can use to add rich data reporting to Windows Forms and ASP.NET applications.

Visual C++ Runtime Libraries (IA64, x64, x86)

These packages install the Visual C++ run-time libraries for the IA64, x64, and x86 operating systems, which provide routines for programming for the Microsoft Windows operating system. These routines automate many common programming tasks that are not provided by the C and C++ languages.

For more information, see Run-Time Library Reference.

Windows Installer 3.1

These packages install the Microsoft Windows Installer redistributable, version 3.1, which allows the installation of Windows Installer Setup projects. It is preinstalled on Windows Server 2003 with SP1 and later.

By default, this item is selected.

For more information, see Deploying a Runtime Application Using Windows Installer.

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 (x86)

This package installs Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, a database application that is based on Microsoft SQL Server 2005. SQL Server Express is a replacement for Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE). SQL Server Express is free and can be redistributed (subject to agreement), and it functions as both a client database and a basic server database. It is the same as SQL Server 2005, except for the following differences:

  • No enterprise features support

  • Limited to one CPU

  • 1 gigabyte (GB) memory limit for the buffer pool

  • 4 GB maximum size for databases

Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs version 1.1

Power Packs are add-ins, controls, components, and tools to aid you in developing Visual Basic applications. This version contains the PrintForm component, which enables you to print the contents of a Windows Form, and the Printer Compatibility Library, which enables Visual Basic 6.0 Printer code to run unmodified.

Visual Studio Tools for the Office system 3.0 Runtime

Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System offers easy-to-use, integrated tools for creating customized business solutions with Microsoft Office. Visual Studio Tools for Office enables developers to quickly create managed, smart client solutions that use Office applications as a user interface. The tools help enable developers to create secure solutions that are easy to deploy and maintain.

For more information, see Visual Studio Tools for Office.

SQL Server Compact 3.5

SQL Server Compact 3.5 enables you to create compact databases that can be deployed on desktop computers, smart devices, and Tablet PCs. You can use SQL Server Compact 3.5 with .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework applications, and you can use SQL Server Compact 3.5 in a native application with Microsoft Visual C++ or Visual C++ for Devices.

For more information about SQL Server Compact 3.5, see Using SQL Server Compact 3.5 (Visual Studio).

See Also

Concepts

Application Deployment Prerequisites

Working With Multiple Versions of the .NET Framework

Deploying 64-bit Applications

Visual Studio Multi-Targeting Overview

Reference

Publish Page, Project Designer

Other Resources

Redistributing the .NET Framework