Aaron Stebner's WebLog
Thoughts about setup and deployment issues, WiX, XNA, the .NET Framework and Visual Studio
Links to useful ways to customize the Windows Vista Media Center SDK project template
As described in this blog post, a new version of the Windows Vista Media Center SDK was recently...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/26/2007
Possible causes of Windows Vista hotfix install failures
The .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 includes updates for the .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0. Since the .NET...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/24/2007
How to sign up for the Windows Installer 4.5 beta program
I just noticed a set of steps that have been posted on the Windows Installer team blog that can be...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/22/2007
Updated version of the .NET Framework cleanup tool that can remove the .NET Framework 3.0
I've posted an updated version of the .NET Framework cleanup tool that now contains an option to...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/22/2007
TV Toolbox beta 2 now available for download
A new beta version of the TV Toolbox application for Windows Vista Media Center has been released on...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/19/2007
How to workaround issue where launching Outlook triggers a repair of VS 2005
Recently, I helped investigate this Visual Studio 2005 issue reported on the Microsoft Connect site...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/17/2007
Where to find a full .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 layout on a VS 2008 beta 2 DVD
Yesterday, I posted a set of instructions that can be used to download the components that make up...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/16/2007
How to create an installable layout for the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2
A while back, I wrote a set of instructions that can be used to create a network install point for...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/15/2007
.NET Framework 2.0 hotfix installation can cause temporary application performance problems
Some customers who have installed the recent .NET Framework 2.0 security update (KB928365 and...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/14/2007
Japanese .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 and VS 2008 beta 2 now available
A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft released the beta 2 versions of the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/11/2007
Example WiX-based setup that can be used to build both 32-bit and 64-bit MSIs
I previously posted an example that allows you to build a WiX-based MSI that will install a Windows...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/10/2007
Workarounds for some .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 install issues we have seen so far
Since the release of the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 a couple of weeks ago, we have run into a few...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/08/2007
Windows Vista Media Center SDK version 5.2 now available for download
A refreshed version of the Windows Vista Media Center SDK (version 5.2) has been released for...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/06/2007
Possible issue using ASP.NET controls in VS 2008 beta 2
Description of this issue Since Visual Studio 2008 beta 2 and the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 were...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/06/2007
Beta version of TV Toolbox (formerly Media Center Cutter) available for download
A news item was recently posted on the MCEDev.com web site that I wanted to draw your attention to...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/03/2007
Make sure to uninstall VS Orcas beta 1 before installing beta 2
Before installing Visual Studio 2008 beta 2 or the .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2, it is necessary to...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/03/2007
What to do if VS 2008 or .NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 asks for Windows XP SP2 on Windows Vista
I previously posted a description of a bug in VS 2008 beta 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 beta 1 setup...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/02/2007
Case study - using MCML to create a Media Center application
Charlie recently posted a link on the Media Center Sandbox blog to an interesting case study on the...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/02/2007
Tool to automatically collect and cab VS 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 setup log files
I wrote a post yesterday with a list of the names and locations of all of the log files produced...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 08/01/2007
Possible cause of Windows - No Disk error during VS 2008 beta 2 setup
We have seen a few cases where running Visual Studio 2008 beta 2 setup will cause an error dialog to...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/31/2007
Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 setup log files
The installers for the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008 chain several different...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/31/2007
VS 2008 beta 2 install failure caused by previous beta version of Microsoft Web Designer Tools
Because of the large volume of beta uninstall issues that were seen during the Visual Studio 2005...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/30/2007
CTP of peer-assisted download manager that can be used for Visual Studio 2008 beta 2
I previously posted a set of links to download various editions of Visual Studio 2008 beta 2. Most...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/27/2007
.NET Framework 3.5 beta 2 and Visual Studio 2008 beta 2 now available
As announced earlier today in this post on Soma's blog, beta 2 of the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/27/2007
Example WiX-based setup that adds a custom strip to the Windows Vista Media Center start menu
In the past, I've posted examples (such as this and this) demonstrating how to create installers for...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/25/2007
List of Windows locale identifier constants and strings
Recently, I was looking for a list of locales supported by Windows as well as the locale ID values...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/23/2007
Windows Vista Media Center cookbook application
Olcay Buyan, a developer from MceDev.com, has posted an introduction and some screenshots for a new...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/19/2007
Link to updated Time Travel with Windows Media Center article
Stephen Toub recently posted this item on his blog and I wanted to link to it to make sure that...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/18/2007
Link to information about configuring Software Explorer on Windows Vista
I noticed an interesting post on the Windows Installer team blog that I wanted to draw some more...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/17/2007
Link to details about how to use new patch creation features in WiX v3.0
Peter Marcu posted a couple of items on his blog recently that I wanted to link to here so hopefully...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/17/2007
June 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista available for download
While I was on vacation, a new cumulative update package for Windows Vista Media Center was...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 07/16/2007
See you in three weeks....
I wanted to drop a brief note and let folks who read my blog know that I'm going to be on vacation...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/26/2007
Link to information about the Windows Installer 4.5 beta program
I noticed a post on the Windows Installer team blog this morning that I wanted to link to here....
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/25/2007
Possible cause of Media Center remote control button issues related to HID service
Recently, I heard from a customer who had a problem where some buttons on their remote control...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/24/2007
Link to an article about managing side-by-side file associations for Visual Studio add-ins
I have created installers in the past (using WiX) that add templates to Visual Studio 2005....
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/22/2007
Mailbag: How can I install a file to the GAC and the local file system using WiX syntax?
Question: I am creating an MSI-based setup using WiX. One of the files that I am installing is...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/21/2007
My thoughts about using WiX and RegisterMceApp in Media Center application setups
As part of his series about creating a Windows Vista Media Center application, Steven Harding...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/21/2007
Try Windows Vista and Visual Studio 2005 on a virtual hard drive
Recently, I read an article about trial versions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 R2 and Visual...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/18/2007
New Windows Vista Media Center mail, RSS and videophone applications from OABSoftware
I recently noticed a few posts on the Green Button forums announcing some new and updated Windows...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/16/2007
Update Rollup 2 setup can fail because it does not detect the .NET Framework 1.1 SP1
It has been a while since I've written about any setup issues related to Update Rollup 2 for Media...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/15/2007
Possible cause of 1935 error with HRESULT 0x8002802F
A while back, I posted an article describing causes of many types of 1935 errors that have been seen...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/12/2007
New Windows Vista Media Center applications - Yougle 2 and EMUCenter
Steven Harding posted an item on his blog at...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/12/2007
Introduction to Big Screen Movies application for Windows Vista Media Center
Niall Ginsbourg is at it again. A while ago, he introduced an application called Big Screen TV...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/09/2007
Update on how to deploy the .NET Framework 3.0 on Windows XP Embedded
Earlier this week, I posted an item with a link to an article on the Windows Embedded team's blog...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/08/2007
Link to information about MSI script-based custom action error codes 2738 and 2739
Heath Stewart posted an item on his blog this past week that I wanted to raise awareness about. In...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/07/2007
Problem deploying the RGB Rasterizer MSI in the .NET Framework 3.0 via Active Directory
Recently, I've heard from a couple of customers who have been trying to use the Microsoft .NET...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/05/2007
How to deploy the .NET Framework 3.0 on Windows XP Embedded
I ran across a question on the .NET Framework setup forum today about installing the .NET Framework...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/04/2007
Updated betas of Big Screen Headlines and Big Screen Contacts available for download
Niall Ginsbourg posted an item on his blog this weekend where he announces the availability of...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/03/2007
Web Designer Tools can fail to install during VS Orcas beta 1 setup on 64-bit Windows
When Visual Studio Codename Orcas beta 1 was initially released back in April, I posted this item...
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/03/2007
Link to information about smart cabbing feature in WiX v3.0
Rob Mensching posted an item on his blog last night that I wanted to bring to your attention....
Author: Aaron Stebner Date: 06/01/2007