Checking to ensure framework is installed

I'm writing an application in C# using the .Net framework.  Whenever
the app is executed on a system without the framework installed, it
throws an exception which isn't particularly useful to the end-user.

How do I give the user a meaningful error message if the framework
isn't installed?  I've come across a few .NET apps that give a
user-friendly error message to inform them that they need the
framework, but haven't found a way to duplicate it in my application.

I'm using #develop (http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD) as my
IDE.

Thanks in advance,

TEGS

Hmm ... I can only think of one way that it would be possible.  You
could write a small bootstrap program in c++ that would simply take
care of detecting whether the framework is installed, if so, it
launches the managed .exe, else, uses win32 to display a nice error
message.

The other (easier) solution is to create an installer ... you can
create a dependency for the .net framework.  If the client doesn't
have the framework, it will prompt them to download and install it.

Easy as pie,
Joel Martinez
Orlando .NET User Group
http://www.onetug.org
http://www.codecube.net

redtwin@hotmail.com (Ted Stewart) wrote in message news:<44a1ed50.0411151236.20a95286@posti
ng.google.com>...
> I'm writing an application in C# using the .Net framework.  Whenever
> the app is executed on a system without the framework installed, it
> throws an exception which isn't particularly useful to the end-user.
>
> How do I give the user a meaningful error message if the framework
> isn't installed?  I've come across a few .NET apps that give a
> user-friendly error message to inform them that they need the
> framework, but haven't found a way to duplicate it in my application.
>
> I'm using #develop (http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD) as my
> IDE.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> TEGS