Microsoft .net Framework 4 Multi | Targeting Pack ((better))

The .NET Framework 4 Multi-Targeting Pack provides several benefits to developers, including:

Traditionally, when you compiled an application targeting .NET Framework 4.0, your build machine required the full runtime and Developer Pack for that specific version. This created friction. If you upgraded Visual Studio, you often lost the ability to compile older frameworks without installing legacy SDKs. microsoft .net framework 4 multi targeting pack

: Download NDP451-KB2861696-x86-x64-DevPack.exe (approximately 198.6 MB). This pack installs both the runtime and the multi-targeting components. : Download NDP451-KB2861696-x86-x64-DevPack

While a machine can typically only have one version of the .NET 4.x runtime installed at a time—due to their "in-place update" nature—developers can have numerous targeting packs installed simultaneously. This allows a single installation of Visual Studio to build applications for a variety of client environments, from legacy Windows 7 machines running base .NET 4.0 to updated systems using .NET 4.0.3 or higher. Bridging the Version Gap This allows a single installation of Visual Studio

: These are metadata-only versions of the .NET libraries that the compiler uses during the build process to ensure the code only uses APIs available in the target version. IntelliSense Support

These are "empty" shells of the actual DLLs (like System.dll or System.Data.dll ). They contain no executable code, only metadata. The compiler uses these to verify that your code calls valid methods.

Make sure the .NET Framework 4 Multi-Targeting Pack is part of your Visual Studio installation.