Does WiX installer depend on the .NET Framework?

Question

I have a WiX installer containing C# based custom actions.

Does this installer need any .NET Framework installed on host machine in order to execute these C# custom action embed in installer?

Answer 1

Yes. Unlike Java, .NET needs to be installed prior to use, rather than simply copied and used. You need to install the version of the .NET framework the C# library was built for or one it is compatible with—e.g., Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or 4.0 Microsoft .NET Framework Full Profile.

Since version 3.6, WiX, in addition to providing tools to author and build Windows Installer packages (and other related files), now provides a bootstrapper/downloader/chainer/bundler with reboot handling capability and package manager for coordinated uninstalls, called Burn.

You can use such a bootstrapper to install both the .NET 4.0 framework and then your installer. See this article in addition to the documentation. In Visual Studio, the "WiX Bootstrapper" template creates a Burn project.