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Is it possible to run a windows application (which has the target platform 4.0) on .net Framework 4.5
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Yes, 4.5 can run 4 and below, however the other way round does not work.
A program built on 4.5 cannot run on a machine which only has 4 installed.
 
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Yes.
Each version of the .NET framework includes all previous versions.
 
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Comments
Nicholas Marty 19-Feb-14 5:32am    
I agree that .Net 4 applications run under 4.5(.1) as the CLR is the same (although modified). But I'm not sure about .NET framework including all previous versions. I thought .NET 4 onwards didn't contain any lower frameworks anymore (but I'm not really sure if lower target application would run under the CLR 4.0 (or 4.5))
OriginalGriff 19-Feb-14 5:43am    
"The .NET Framework 4.5 and its point releases are backward-compatible with apps that were built with earlier versions of the .NET Framework. In other words, apps and components built with previous versions will work without modification on the .NET Framework 4.5."

MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff602939(v=vs.110).aspx
Nicholas Marty 19-Feb-14 6:07am    
Ok. Then it is possible to run older .Net Applications under the CLR 4.0 or 4.5 but the .NET 4.x does still not include lower versions of the framework.
Basically if you tested something with .NET 2.0 CLR doesn't mean that it works exactly the same on .NET 4.

Quote from that msdn page: "so you may have to provide a configuration file to enable your app to run on the .NET Framework 4.5."

And especially noteworthy is the second paragraph of the backwards compatibilty section where it is made clear that newer frameworks are not guaranteed to be 100% backwards compatible. (Although probably most applications should work fine)
OriginalGriff 19-Feb-14 6:18am    
True. They did change the rules at 4 - but I've yet to see anythign that doesn't - but then this PC had 3.5 on it before 4, and so on, so I don;t know how much gets removed each time...hmmm...

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