title: Programatically check for version .NET Framework - Should I?
body: <p>I got at task to extend en existing WinForm application to make a check weather or not the required .NET Framework (fx. 3.5) is installed.</p>
  
  <p>Well the issues is that - if there is no .NET Framework installed, the winform program is not able to run at all... I assume.</p>
  
  <p>I could (maybe) do like suggested here: (and make a c++ program that should start first, make the check and then launch the application)
  <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3778074/check-on-net-framework-version-from-winforms-app">Check on .Net framework version from WinForms app</a>
  But I would rather not go into c++.</p>
  
  <p>Another way seems to be this solution:
  <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2725228/why-isnt-an-exception-thrown-when-the-right-net-framework-version-is-not-prese">Why isn&#39;t an exception thrown when the right .NET framework version is not present?</a>
  ... where you configure your application in app.config. But I doubt that will work if there i no .NET framework installed.</p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;startup&gt;
      &lt;supportedRuntime version="v3.5" /&gt;
  &lt;/startup&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So my question is <strong>what is Best Practice</strong> in this area? Should I make the check one way or the other, or should I just make it a pre-requisite, that fx. .NET Framework version 3.5 is demanded?</p>