# .Net Framework 2.0 for Windows 7
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 21, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449 "2009-11-21T20:57:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/1 "2009-11-21T20:57:30Z")
I recently bought a new puter with Windows 7. Upon powering up, I get the message that I need to download the above. When I try to download it, the download fails because it is not supported by Windows 7. I do have .Net framework 3.5.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/2 "2009-11-22T04:38:02Z")
Is the message coming from Windows or some program? If it’s coming from Windows, that’s sort of weird for them to ask you to DL something it doesn’t support. If it’s coming from another program, you may have a program that runs using the 2.0 framework. 3.5 is backwards-compatible with 2.0 but the program might be built to specifically check for 2.0, as it was not updated when 3.5 came out.
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### Author:  [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/3 "2009-11-22T04:43:46Z")
Do you have a Lexmark printer? My ex-wife was having the same issue after installing WIndows 7 and it turned out to be the drivers for the Lexmark printer she had causing the issue.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/4 "2009-11-22T09:09:34Z")
It’s coming from Windows. I don’t have a Lexmark printer. I have a new printer I bought when I bought the puter. It says "Dell V305.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/5 "2009-11-22T15:27:55Z")
It’s almost certainly not from Windows, but something that’s loading on startup and not identifying itself in the error message. Windows 7 knows it does not need .NET 2.0, and it would not even be looking for it on startup.
You can see what is being loaded on startup by typing msconfig in the ‘search programs and files’ thing in the Windows menu, and going to the Startup tab.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/6 "2009-11-22T20:44:16Z")
My error. I tried to download .NET framework 2.0 x86, but it should have been .NET framework 2.0 x64. However, after I successfully downloaded it, I continued to get the same message. I tried to download it again, but could not since it was already on my puter, yet I continue to get the message.
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### Author:  [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/7 "2009-11-22T21:13:12Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> My error. I tried to download .NET framework 2.0 x86, but it should have been .NET framework 2.0 x64. However, after I successfully downloaded it, I continued to get the same message. I tried to download it again, but could not since it was already on my puter, yet I continue to get the message.
If you’re up to 3.5 (which you are, running 7) you don’t have any use for 2.0. What you have is some application or driver or whatever, that is is looking for a specific version of some DLLs, and doesn’t know that greater versions also work.
Later versions of the .NET framework are backwards compatible with programs written for earlier versions.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/8 "2009-11-22T21:35:06Z")
OK, but how do I get rid of that annoying message: how do I stop it from showing at start up? It’s a minor annoyance, but I still like to stop it.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/9 "2009-11-22T22:05:16Z")
Look in the [Event Viewer](http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/vista/vista_event_viewer.htm) to see if you can figure out what application/driver is throwing that error, and then find out if you can update that application/driver.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/10 "2009-11-22T22:14:13Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> OK, but how do I get rid of that annoying message: how do I stop it from showing at start up? It’s a minor annoyance, but I still like to stop it.
Did you check startup programs as I suggested in post #5?
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### Author:  [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/11 "2009-11-22T22:35:19Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> It’s coming from Windows. I don’t have a Lexmark printer. I have a new printer I bought when I bought the puter. It says "Dell V305.
Dell printers are made by Lexmark, so the driver could still be the problem. Worth a shot.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/12 "2009-11-23T13:52:58Z")
I checked the Event Viewer, and an error noted was that SuperAntispyware Pro is not compatible with this computer, and that I should check for a new driver. I don’t know if that is related to the error message, but I’ve already scanned with SuperAntispyware, and I’ve already updated it.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/13 "2009-11-23T14:23:14Z")
In msconfig, I hid all MS services and disabled all. Then I disabled all my start up items and restarted. The message went away. I then disabled just SuperAntispyware and the message reappeared. I don’t think it’s the printer and I’ve been printing and the printer came along with the computer.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/14 "2009-11-23T17:52:25Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> In msconfig, I hid all MS services and disabled all. Then I disabled all my start up items and restarted. The message went away. I then disabled just SuperAntispyware and the message reappeared. I don’t think it’s the printer and I’ve been printing and the printer came along with the computer.
Well, what a pro would do is exactly what you have done, but keep disabling different startup programs, one at a time, until they found the one that was causing the problem.
Unless you are willing to send us a list of your programs, that’s pretty much the only thing you can do.
Well, I did think of one thing: Open the task manager while the error is still on the screen. When you dismiss the error message, there may be one program that disappears. If you’re not sure where that program comes from, use search to find it.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/15 "2009-11-23T18:59:17Z")
I didn’t see any program that disappeared, but, of course, I could not see all of them on one screen. I could disable the top half of my start ups and if that resolves the problem, I could divide that into half, etc. If not, I would then disable the bottom half, etc. I may do that eventually, but for now I’ll just close the message.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/16 "2009-11-24T19:45:50Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> I didn’t see any program that disappeared, but, of course, I could not see all of them on one screen. I could disable the top half of my start ups and if that resolves the problem, I could divide that into half, etc. If not, I would then disable the bottom half, etc. I may do that eventually, but for now I’ll just close the message.
I finally got around to doing that, and the culprit was didtamon HKLM\software\microsoft windows current version/run. I don’t know what that is. I’ll search for it later. I also have a didtmon (without the “a”).
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/net-framework-2-0-for-windows-7/518449/17 "2009-11-24T19:57:36Z")
Well, it was the printer after all.