Microsoft .NET Security Update Fail

 So Windows Update keeps wanting to load a Security Update KB2418241 for .NET 2.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1.

But it fails every time with unhelpful messages.

Great. So what to do? Well, it turns out I cannot uninstall, repair, or reinstall .NET 2.X using Windows Installer or Windows Install Cleanup. Swell.

So it gets me wondering: what uses any of these .NET runtimes? Why can't windows tell me?

Perhaps by deleting the .NET 3.5 SP1 I can wait to see what fails: Evernote 3.5 crashes ungracefully with no helpful message at all. Reinstalling it forces a reinstall of the missing .NET 3.5 SP1. But I still can't install the Security Update.

KB2416473 is a Security Update for  .NET 3.5 SP1 only - will it install now? Yes.

.NET 2.0 shows up in Add/Remove Programs, but cannot be uninstalled:

The obvious thing to do is look at the article URL (which is not clickable and can't even be selected for copy and paste... aargh.... http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q312/5/00.asp which redirects to http://support.microsoft.com/KB/906894 but sadly this is no help. I am advised to "To resolve this problem, uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 before you install the .NET Framework 2.0." but this is not possible on my system.

Time to try the registry? I tried to delete the values in LEGACY_CLR_OPTIMIZATION_V2.0.50727_32 but could not. So instead I searched for all .Net references and found a few to .Net 2.0 such as
 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727 which has Performance->Library value c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_perf.dll.

So all the keys using .Net 2.0 include
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\aspnet_state\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\clr_optimization_v2.0.50727_32
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\.NET Runtime 2.0 Error Reporting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\.NET Runtime Optimization Service
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\ASP.NET 2.0.50727.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\SyncToy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\System.ServiceModel.Install 3.0.0.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\WMI.NET Provider Extension
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC Gateway
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC WS-AT Protocol
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\aspnet_state

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\Root\LEGACY_CLR_OPTIMIZATION_V2.0.50727_32\0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\ASP.NET\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\aspnet_state
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\aspnet_state\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\clr_optimization_v2.0.50727_32
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\.NET Runtime 2.0 Error Reporting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\ASP.NET 2.0.50727.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\Business Connectivity Services(Legacy Provider)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\idsvc
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\SyncToy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\Application\System.ServiceModel.Install 3.0.0.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC Gateway
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC WS-AT Protocol

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Enum\Root\LEGACY_CLR_OPTIMIZATION_V2.0.50727_32\0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\ASP.NET\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\aspnet_state
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\aspnet_state\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\clr_optimization_v2.0.50727_32
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\.NET Runtime 2.0 Error Reporting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\ASP.NET 2.0.50727.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\Business Connectivity Services(Legacy Provider)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\idsvc
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\SyncToy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\System.ServiceModel.Install 3.0.0.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\WMI.NET Provider Extension
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC Gateway
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\System\MSDTC WS-AT Protocol

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_CLR_OPTIMIZATION_V2.0.50727_32\0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASP.NET\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASP.NET_2.0.50727\Performance
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\aspnet_state
OK this is getting tiresome and I can see a pattern here.

In fact, 2.0 seems to be installed at C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727, and likewise C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.0

What Next?
Google for some other solution such as
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/astebner/archive/2005/04/16/408856.aspx

JavaOne 2010 San Francisco

Oracle knows how to throw a party without scrimping!

Even in JavaOne's heyday I don't recall things being this well-planned, at least as far as facilities, food, and drink are concerned.

...but you kind of expect that from the man who spearheaded the development of the A17 trimaran which won the 33rd America's Cup race and is capable of sailing at up to five times the wind speed!

Shown here: BMW/Oracle racing team with the Cup, apparently repaired after the sledgehammer attack by a Maori tribesman (really).