Installing the .NET Framework SDK

Now that you have fare idea of what .NET I and what it can do for you, it is time to

install .NET framework SDK on your machine. Following sections will tell you

everything you need to know for installing .NET framework.

·       Hardware Requirements

In order to install .NET framework SDK following hardware is required:

-    Computer/Processor : Intel Pentium class, 133 megahertz (MHz) or higher

-    Minimum RAM Requirements : 128 megabytes (MB) (256 MB or higher recommended)

-    Hard Disk :

Ø Hard disk space required to install: 600 MB

Ø Hard disk space required: 370 MB

-    Display : Video: 800x600, 256 colors

-    Input Device : Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device

·       Software Requirements

-    Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later is required

-    Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6 is also required (Microsoft Data Access Components 2.7 is recommended)

-    Operating System :

Ø Microsoft Windows® 2000, with the latest Windows service pack and critical updates available from the Microsoft Security Web page

Ø Microsoft Windows XP – (Microsoft Windows XP Professional if you want to run ASP.NET)

Ø Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0

·      Starting the installation

Note: If you already have a previous version of .NET installed on the machine then it must first be uninstalled. Refer ReadMe files that ship with .NET framework SDK. These files contain valuable information related to installation, system requirements and trouble shooting.

In order to start the installation, you need to run the setup program that is available with the download mentioned above. A wizard will guide you with necessary process. It will also allow you to select various components of the framework.

After the installation is complete it is a good idea to apply .NET framework Service pack 1. The service pack fixes some of the bugs. It can be downloaded from:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/downloads/sp1/default.asp

·       Installing Samples and Quick Start Tutorials

.NET framework comes with an excellent set of tutorials that help you learn various technologies such as ASP.NET and windows forms. In order to configure the tutorials follow Start menu -> Program -> Microsoft .NET Framework SDK -> Samples and Quick Start Tutorials. This will open up a HTML document that will guide you through the process of configuring the samples and tutorials.

·       Installing MSDE

.NET framework samples and quick start tutorials require a Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE). MSDE is scaled down version of SQL Server. The samples use databases from the MSDE. In order to work with the samples make sure you have started an instance of MSDE. You can use this MSDE for creating your own databases for testing applications.