INSTALLATION

As of this writing the NET Framework is still in beta. As such, the contents
of this chapter are subject to change. Please consult the online
reference at aNET020001 for up-to-date installation instructions.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
In order to install the .NET Framework on your machine, Microsoft recommends
the following system configuration:
• Processor: Minimum Pentium II-450Mhz (Pentium III-650Mhz
recommended).
• Operating System: Windows 2000 (Server or Professional), Windows
XP, or Windows NT 4.0 Server.
• Memory: 96 MB (128 MB recommended) for Windows 2000
Professional, 192MB (256 MB recommended) for Windows
2000 server.
• Hard drive: 500MB free on the drive where the OS is installed
(usually C:\) and 2.5 Gigs free on the installation drive (where
VS.NET will be installed).

.NET DISTRIBUTION
The .NET Framework is distributed on four CDs. The first three contain
the VS.NET development tools, and the fourth contains the Windows
Component Update. The Windows Component Update will install the
core framework files (the CLR, Runtime classes) and updated versions
of system files that the Framework requires in order to run on your machine.
For information on obtaining the CDs either by mail or download,
please see www.microsoft.com/net/.

INSTALLING .NET
To install the .NET Framework, run SETUP.EXE, found on the first CD.
After a couple of minutes, you will be greeted with the screen in Figure
2.1.
Figure 2.1 VS.NET setup
As Figure 2.1 indicates, you must run the Windows Component Update
before installing VS.NET. After clicking Windows Component Update,
the setup program will analyze your machine for a few minutes to determine
which system files need to be updated. Depending on the oper-
Installation . 19
ating system and the applications that you have already installed, the
setup program may have to reboot the system several times during the
installation process. Because of this, it offers the Automatic Log On feature.
When you supply your user ID and password, the system can automatically
log on and continue the installation every time it has to reboot
the machine. Because the setup program may have to reboot the machine
as many as seven times during the installation routine, this option
can be a real timesaver. If you disable this option, you will have to log
on each time the computer reboots. (As of this writing there are some
beta issues with automatic log-on, so please consult aNET020002 for
the latest information).
After you either enable or disable Automatic Log On, the setup program
will begin the Windows Component Update. Depending on the
files it must update, this procedure can take several minutes. After the
Windows Component Update has been completed, the setup program
will prompt you for the first VS.NET CD. It will then ask you to choose
which portions of VS.NET you want installed (the IDE, MSDN documentation,
etc.).
After selecting those aspects of VS.NET that you want included,
click Install Now. (For the purposes of working with the examples in this
book, we recommend that you accept the default install options.) The
setup program will begin. Depending on the options you have selected,
installation will take anywhere from twenty to sixty minutes. After the
installation has been completed, your computer will contain all of the
necessary tools to build and deploy .NET applications.


PROGRAM LOCATIONS
The .NET setup program will append two new items to your Start
menu’s Program folder. The first item is called Microsoft .NET Framework
SDK and contains MSDN documentation and Code samples. The
second item is called Microsoft Visual Studio.NET 7.0 and contains
links to the VS.NET IDE and to another folder called Visual Studio.NET
Tools. We will build the majority of programs in this CodeNote from the
VS.NET command line, which you can access by clicking the Visual
Studio.NET Command Prompt icon shown in Figure 2.2.
Those familiar with previous versions of Visual C++ should note that
you can also bring up this command prompt by running the
vcvars32.bat file, found in the \%Program Files%1\Microsoft Visual
Studio.NET\Vc7\bin directory.
Figure 2.2 The Visual Studio.NET Command Prompt
Finally, note that many utilities we use throughout this CodeNote
(ILDASM.EXE in Chapter 1, SN.EXE in Chapter 2, etc.) are found in
the \%Program Files%\Microsoft.NET\FrameworkSDK\Bin directory. If
you use the VS.NET Command Prompt in Figure 2.2, this directory will
automatically be included in your Path variable, so you can access the
.NET Framework utilities from within any directory. However, if you
use a normal Windows command prompt, you will have to manually add
the tool directory to your path or provide relative paths to the tools you
need to use (or run the aforementioned vsvars32.bat file).