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Check .NET Compact Framework Version Installed on Windows Mobile

Windows 16 Comments

Every Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 comes with .NET Framework preinstalled. I just got to know that even Windows Mobile has its own version of .NET called .NET Compact Framework which is designed to run on Windows CE based mobile such as PDA. It uses some of the same class libraries as the full .NET Framework and also a few libraries designed specifically for mobile devices. However, the libraries are not exact copies of the .NET Framework. The ones in the .NET Compact Framework are scaled down to take up less space.

Whether to have .NET Compact Framework or later versions installed on your Windows Mobile very much depends on whether you have run any third party software that requires it. I have a Garmin Nuvi GPS that can help me to locate places when I will be in Europe next month but one thing I don’t like about Garmin Nuvi is I had to type the exact spelling to search for the place. Unlike Google Maps, there are suggestions if I spelled it wrongly. There is an official Google Maps software for mobile but it requires GPRS to download the maps real time and it cannot work with wi-fi. After searching, I found a software called Google Navigator which can download street data and use it offline.

There are a few packages to download and it says “if your device is Windows Mobile 5.0, you need .NET CF 2.0 installed on your device”. My PDA is running Windows Mobile 6.1 and I had no idea if it had any .NET Compact Framework installed. I didn’t want to simply install anything and do the trial and error method. My PDA is slow enough and installing more junks is probably going to cause it to hang everyday.

Fortunately it’s easy to check what version of .NET Compact Framework on my mobile. I go to Start > Programs > File Explorer. Navigate to the Windows folder and run cgacutil.exe. I now see a popup with the .NET CF version info.

Check .NET Compact Framework version

That’s not the end yet because even though it shows version 2 which is probably .NET Compact Framework version 2, but I don’t know if it is RTM, SP1 or SP2 versions. Below is a list version numbers that correspond with the version name.

  • 1.0 RTM = 1.0.2268.0
  • 1.0 SP1 = 1.0.3111.0
  • 1.0 SP2 = 1.0.3316.0
  • 1.0 SP3 = 1.0.4292.0
  • 2.0 RTM = 2.0.5238.0
  • 2.0 SP1 = 2.0.6129.0
  • 2.0 SP2 = 2.0.7045.0
  • 3.5 Beta 1 = 3.5.7066.0
  • 3.5 Beta 2 = 3.5.7121.0
  • 3.5 RTM = 3.5.7283.0
  • 3.5 = 3.5.7283.0
  • 3.7 = 3.7.8345.0

So I have 2.0.7045.0 which is actually the latest version of .NET CF 2. I installed Google Navigator and it runs fine.

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16 Comments - Write a Comment

  1. Moustafa Safwat 14 years ago

    You Helped me sooooo :). I had a week ago navigating to get this.
    Thank You :)

    Reply
  2. rey 15 years ago

    so can i update my htc touch diamond from the 2. sp2 veriosn to 3 or 3.5 or 4.0?

    Reply
  3. Hugo 15 years ago

    thanks for sharing those informations.
    It’s very userfull!

    Reply
  4. manialith 15 years ago

    where can i find the latest version for win mobile 6 pro? I have “2.0 SP2 = 2.0.7045.0” too. is this still the latest version?

    Reply
  5. Norm 15 years ago

    So have you been able to update your device to 3.5 or 3.7 from version 2 yet? – I just tried using a Vista workstation and Windows Mobile Device Center and no go… – Device (Original HTC Touch) does not update.

    I’m going to try from an XP workstation in a bit but I was curious if you’d been able to update or not.

    Reply
  6. Alex T. 15 years ago

    3.7? :-)

    Reply
  7. Jorgecc 15 years ago

    Well Many poor , ajajaja :)

    Reply
  8. Jorgecc 15 years ago

    Many key for a poor man :(

    Reply
  9. simon 15 years ago

    Raymond Ive been trying to comment on the BD free key Article but i can’t comment there.. huhuhuhu.. I’d really love to have one key. Please….

    Reply
  10. simon 15 years ago

    Oh I guess my comment recently is for BitDefender 2010 giveaway keys.. thanks

    Reply
  11. simon 15 years ago

    hi there raymond!!! I would really love to have a key. I really can’t afford to buy one.. Thank you very much!!!

    Reply
  12. Rajan 15 years ago

    How can I confirm that my ZTE WM 6.0 got this installed by default?
    BTW, are there any consequences of this?

    Reply
  13. PPC 15 years ago

    hey, i used that app to check my CF version, yeah, it said ‘2.0 SP2 = 2.0.7045.0’

    then i saw CF 3.5 installation on google, downloaded from Microsoft’s site and it is not a beta version.

    i tried to install but the options were:
    Repair/Modify/Uninstall

    so? does that mean i’ve already installed it?
    but app said 2.0 SP2 o.O

    Reply
  14. Raymond 15 years ago

    Thanks for noticing the typo on the most important information of this article. Corrected.

    Reply
  15. JF 15 years ago

    Thanks

    Reply
  16. someone 15 years ago

    err, isn’t it “cgacutil.exe” instead of cgcautil.exe ?

    Reply

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