Starting “Click-Once” published application keeps trying to install .NET Framework

Question

The following dialog window keeps popping on my computrer when starting "Click-Once" published application from Internet URL:

[Microsoft .NET Framework Setup] - Would you like to download and install the Microsoft .NET Framework?

The content you are trying to access requires the Microsoft .NET Framework. Would you like to download and install this from Microsoft Download Center Now?

....

"Click-Once" worked OK in the past without trying to install .NET Framework but after (I guess) my MS Windows Vista Ultimate System got installed the following automatic updates:

Update for Windows (KB936448 - .Net Framework 3.0 RTM x86 ru-RU)

Update for Windows (KB936403 - .Net Framework 2.0 RTM x86 ru-RU)

"Click-Once" stopped to work trying to install .NET Framework every time, and even if I run this install it keeps trying to install .NET Framework on subsequent "Click-Once" activations...

I have removed the above updates from my system, and I have installed .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 - but I'm still getting the same issue.

I'd expect it should be possible to manually patch some System Registry Entries to fix this issue but I do not know which ones.

Please advise how this issue can be solved.

P.S. FYI: Windows Vista SP1 is not installed on my system

Answer 1

I had this problem too for a while.

It was caused when I opened a .application file in notepade and set notepad to be the default handler for .application files. (It needs to be the ClickOnce client runtime component).

Resetting this back to the default handler corrected the problem

Answer 2

Maybe the locale is the reason? You have runtime for ru-RU, what is locale of the ClickOnce application?

Answer 3

[Microsoft .NET Framework Setup] - Would you like to download and install the Microsoft .NET Framework?

Does it state what version of the Framework is required for the application?

Did you write the application yourself? Perhaps there is something inside the Visual Studio Project Properties. Under Publish > Prerequisites there is the list of prerequisites that the application will attempt to install (if told to do so). Is the version of .NET Framework listed there?