Prerequisite bootstrapper application fails to install .NET 4.5

Question

My installer has .NET 4.5 as a prerequisite, when running my installer on Vista (with .NET 4.0 installed) it launches the prerequisite bootstrapper as expected. Clicking "Install" moves the dialog to a progress page, and that's where it stops. It just sits at 0% for a while, and then the bootstrapper disappears (exits).

Log snippet:

[0A30:0360][2013-07-11T10:41:23]i300: Apply begin
[093C:06F4][2013-07-11T10:41:23]i360: Creating a system restore point.
[093C:06F4][2013-07-11T10:41:28]i361: Created a system restore point.
[0A30:0360][2013-07-11T10:41:28]i399: Apply complete, result: 0x0, restart: None, ba requested restart:  No
[0A30:0360][2013-07-11T10:41:28]i500: Shutting down, exit code: 0x0
[0A30:0360][2013-07-11T10:41:28]i000: The prerequisites were not successfully installed, error: 0x0. The bootstrapper application will be not reloaded.

My .NET package (Which is the first package in the bundle):

<PackageGroup Id="Netfx45Full">
  <ExePackage Id="Netfx45Full"
              Cache="no" 
              Compressed="yes"
              PerMachine="yes"
              Permanent="yes"
              Vital="yes"
              SourceFile="..\Common\PreRequisites\MSIL\dotNetFx45_Full_x86_x64.exe"
              InstallCondition="NOT (Netfx4FullVersion=&quot;4.5.50709&quot; OR Netfx4x64FullVersion=&quot;4.5.50709&quot;)"
              DetectCondition="(Netfx4FullVersion=&quot;4.5.50709&quot;) AND (NOT VersionNT64 OR (Netfx4x64FullVersion=&quot;4.5.50709&quot;))" />
</PackageGroup>

My bootstrappercore.config has got the following:

<wix.bootstrapper>
    <host assemblyName="Bootstrapper">
        <supportedFramework version="v4.5" />
    </host>
</wix.bootstrapper>

I have been snooping around %temp% and various other locations, and I have been unable to find a .NET install log, so I assume it doesn't get to that point. Any ideas as to why .NET fails to install or how to troubleshoot it further are greatly appreciated. Thank you

Zoolatry

I had the same issue, but my problem was that I referenced a PackageGroup instead of a Package using WixMbaPrereqPackageId – Swick

Answer 1

I had a similar problem. The installer started with .NET 4.0 installed but later crashed, even if I had referenced the .NET 4.5 package in the bundle. My solution was to add the sku attribute to supportedRuntime in BootstrapperCore.config like this:

    <startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy="true">
      <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
    </startup>

Obliquely

After searching for 30 minutes, this definitely works, thank you :) – Confiteor

Answer 2

There is a more simple way of installing .NET in Burn in stead of creating your own ExePackage.

http://wix.sourceforge.net/manual-wix3/install_dotnet.htm

Since you want to install .NET 4.5 you should use the WixNetfxExtension PackageGroup : NetFx45Redist

Here is the complete PackageGroup list:

http://wix.sourceforge.net/manual-wix3/wixnetfxextension.htm

Bosk

I tried that to begin with, but it didn't bundle the installer into my bootstrapper executable, maybe I missed something. Either way, I tried it the way they describe it on their help page, and ran into the same issue. – Zoolatry

Can you show us your code? You only have to do two things: 1) Reference WixNetfxExtension and 2) add this into your chain: <PackageGroupRef Id="NetFx45Redist"/> – Bosk

I added the same. Its working as expected. But after including it, my application size is huge in control panel. Is any solution to decrease the application size? – Curassow