How to workaround .NET Framework 2.0 OS component uninstall failure on Windows Server 2003 R2

As I previously described in this blog post, the MSI-based .NET Framework 2.0 is included as an optional OS component on Windows Server 2003 R2.

The .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1 is designed to be a slipstreamed package behind the scenes.  If it is installed on a system that has the original release of the .NET Framework 2.0 installed, the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 will perform a major upgrade of the original release of the .NET Framework 2.0, which means that it will uninstall the original 2.0 MSI and then installs the new 2.0 SP1 package.

Because of the architecture of the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 setup, if it is installed on a Windows Server 2003 R2 system that has the .NET Framework 2.0 optional OS component installed, it will essentially replace the optional OS component.  If you try to go back to the Add/Remove Windows Components control panel and uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 optional OS component after installing the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 (or a product that includes the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 like the .NET Framework 3.5), that uninstall will fail.  This happens because the command line that Windows Server 2003 R2 uses to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 is specific to the initial release of the .NET Framework 2.0, and that command line no longer works for the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 setup package.

If you encounter this uninstall error for the .NET Framework 2.0 optional OS component on Windows Server 2003 R2, you can uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 using the separate .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 entry in Add/Remove Programs instead of using the Add/Remove Windows Components control panel.

Keep in mind that you will not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 if you have the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 or the .NET Framework 3.5 installed.  In that case, you need to first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5, then uninstall the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.  After that, you will be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 using its entry in Add/Remove Programs.

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 29, 2007
  PingBack from http://www.artofbam.com/wordpress/?p=3941

• Anonymous
  September 29, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  October 01, 2007
  Hi Aaron, you wrote a little bit about .NET 2.0 SP1. Can you blog some more information about this (e.g. will there be a seperate redist? what's new in SP1? when do I need SP1? and so on...)? Thanks in advance! -christian

• Anonymous
  October 02, 2007
  Hi Christian - I'm planning a future blog post where I talk about the behind-the-scenes architecture of the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and 3.0 SP1 setups in more detail.  I'm mostly familiar with the setup functionality of these products, so I won't be able to address the "what's new in the product" or "when do I need it" questions very well.  Hopefully, that type of information will be available elsewhere as the .NET Framework 3.5 (which includes 2.0 SP1 and 3.0 SP1) gets closer to releasing.

• Anonymous
  June 21, 2012
  This file works awesomely for uninstalling MS .NET on Server 2003.  I just now used it as version 2.0 was failing to install ms update and then it was also failing to uninstall.  I found this and it works well, i recommend it:  skydrive.live.com   file is:  dotnetfx_cleanup I unzipped, ran, rebooted and all .NET other than 3.5 for some reason, was gone.  but more importantly, so was verion 2.0.  So then i was able to download and reinstall and now all updates are current again.  I could not be more happy.  THanks.