So I tried to be smart, uninstalled Microsoft .NET Framework from Add or Remove Programs and it was successful. I encountered another problem which is I can’t get .NET Framework to install no matter what I did. Now I don’t even have any version of .NET Framework installed on my computer which is even worst than before. Last time I could at least run other .NET Framework applications except one of it but now none at all!

I remembered finding Aaron Stebner’s WebLog on how to manually cleanup the .NET Framework but I still couldn’t get it fixed. In the end I ended up reformatting my hard drive and reinstall Windows just because I couldn’t get .NET Framework installed again (I had some .NET Framework apps that I urgently need to use). Lucky you all now, if you had the same problem, Aaron Stebner has created a cleanup tool which automates removing Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5.

Aaron Stebner’s .NET Framework Setup Cleanup Utility contains support for automatically cleaning up the .NET Framework 1.0, the .NET Framework 1.1, the .NET Framework 2.0, the .NET Framework 3.0 and the .NET Framework 3.5.

This tool automates the manual cleanup steps for the .NET Framework 2.0 that Aaron Stebner posted a while ago (I went through the manual steps before and it was not easy). These steps have helped solve most of the known .NET Framework 2.0 beta uninstall issues that Aaron know of. In addition, the tool can be useful to return your system to a known (relatively clean) state in case you run into any .NET Framework 2.0 installation failures so that you can try to install again.

The updated version of the cleanup tool contains options to clean up the .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 separately and all versions simultaneously in a single step. The cleanup tool contains logic so that if it is run on an OS version that includes the .NET Framework as an OS component, it will not offer the option to clean it up. This means that running the cleanup tool on Windows XP Media Center Edition or Tablet PC Edition will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 1.0, running it on Windows Server 2003 will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 1.1 and running it on Windows Vista will not offer the option to clean up the .NET Framework 2.0 or the .NET Framework 3.0.

The .NET Framework cleanup tool is very easy to use. Just download, extract and run cleanup_tool.exe. Select the version of .NET Framework that you want to cleanup and click the “Cleanup Now” button. The cleanup process takes a while, so be patient and don’t close the cleanup tool or restart your computer.

This tool is designed as a last resort for cases where install, uninstall or repair did not succeed for unusual reasons. It is not intended as a substitute for the standard uninstall procedure. You should try to perform an uninstall from Add/Remove Programs before using this cleanup tool. The last time I uninstalled .NET Framework was disastrous, so ONLY uninstall .NET Framework when you have no other choice.

[ Download .NET Framework Setup Cleanup Utility ]

Technorati Tags: cleanup, uninstall, remove, .net, framework

What are the Adobe AIR apps that you couldn’t live without?  Tell us in the comments!

DeskTube - DeskTube lets you get complete control over YouTube on your desktop. Search, watch, comment, get embed codes, upload your own videos and even download the videos you are currently watching as MOV files.

Dorame - Dorame doesn’t add much to the Pandora listening experience, but it does give you the freedom of being outside of your browser and changing up the appearance of the service.

EarthBrowser - EarthBrowser gives you live updates of clouds, earthquakes, the weather, satellite overlays, volcanoes, fires and a whole lot more.

Feedalizr - Many people have downloaded service specific apps like TweetDeck, Twhirl and so on, but Feedalizr rolls several social tools into one app.  You can work with Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed, Jaiku, Twitter and VideoVideo all from this one handy interface.

Google Analytics - While most people love looking at statistics about their websites, Google Analytics can be a bit slow at times for those webmasters that use their tools.  This Adobe AIR app gives you the ability to open reports in multiple tabs for easier switching and allows you to change date ranges faster.

MiniTask - A desktop tool for creating detailed to-do lists that you can separate out by categories, copy the items out to other programs, set reminders, print out task sheets and more.

Posty - Get all of your FriendFeed. Identi.ca, Jaiku, Pownce, Tumblr and Twitter updates in one handy application with built-in URL shortening, spell checking, message search and more.

TweetDeck - While it seems that apps only work with one social site are becoming passe, TweetDeck gives you so much control over how you see your Tweets, it is well worth it.  Your incoming messages are already split into columns for timeline, replies and direct messages, and then you can build custom columns for things such as work, friends and more.

Twhirl - The odds are fairly high that this is the application you installed Adobe Air for in the first place, but that doesn’t exclude it from the list in case it wasn’t.  Probably the most popular of the Twitter clients, Twhirl also supports interactions with multiple accounts for FriendFeed, laconi.ca, seesmic and Twitter.

Yammer - Yammer, the private corporate microblogging service, gets a desktop client that runs on the Adobe AIR platform, allowing you to use all the features of the service freed from your browser.

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With the economy in continuing decline, keeping tight control over your money is no longer just for obsessives. These financial apps for Google Android help you count every penny.

Personal Budget Droid is a simple budget- and bills-tracker that lets you create multiple monthly budgets for groceries, housing costs, and so on. You enter every budget name and transaction by hand, but the app keeps a transaction history and calculates how much you have left for each category.

The more sophisticated FireWallet works with budgets inside various accounts and protects your information behind a four-digit pin you change from the all-zero default. It's a bit trickier to navigate, but also shoehorns in more options. In addition to a more refined interface, FireWallet has graphs and charts to help visualize your spending, and a rudimentary tool to alert you of upcoming bills. Both it and Personal Budget Droid are missing templates and more powerful features to optionally suck in real-time data from your checking, savings, and stock portfolios. Time for a mobile version of Mint?

Flick to either side for a calc that rounds up; up or down gets you a breakdown of numbers to pass around.

(Credit: TouchTip)

TouchTip is our current favorite tip calculator for Google Android. Flick a finger left or right to slide between a simple tip calculator that rounds up to the nearest dollar or ten dollars, and one featuring a ten-digit keypad. Both views use the bill total, tax, and number of diners to calculate your total payment. Flicking up or down produces a breakdown of what you owe that you can pass around the table to friends.

Personal Tip Jar hails from the same developer as Personal Budget Droid, and shares a few visual characteristics, including a useless "news" tab. Yet Tip Jar is a great niche nod to those whose incomes are built substantially on tips. While a fuller budgeting app could easily accommodate gains from tipping, this application provides a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly summary at a glance.

Stock apps on Android are extremely mediocre, but the simply named Stock App is better than other skeletal tickers. This one opens with Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500, Yahoo, and Google presets. You can add your own by pressing the menu key, and can browse frequently traded stocks. Stock App displays the value and percentage change up front; double-tap an entry to see more stats. While it's functional, Android is sorely missing the completeness of a stock-tracker like Bloomberg for iPhone. Get to it, developers.

Awhile back, I talked about a nifty up-and-coming web conferencing utility for Microsoft SharedView, a decent alternative for GotoMeeting or WebEx.

Yet another great alternative, Yugma is an online web conferencing tool similar to GotoMeeting or WebEx in that it offers an easy way to create and share your desktop to other remote users across the Internet.

Granted, there are freeware AND paid variations, with certain limitations imposed on the free version (you get the 'pro' features for 15 days after signing up).

Performance seems more than adequate, and you do get free teleconferencing capability (long distance charges apply) even with the free version.

Features for the free version include 10 participant max, the aforementioned free teleconferencing, Skype compatibility, Desktop Sharing, etc. - unfortunately, changing presenter or scheduling sessions online is not part of the included free features.

Using the Yugma interface is not unlike GotoMeeting, with controls in all the right spots (screen sharing, record/playback session, annotation tools, change presenter, etc.).  Everything is laid out just where you would expect it.

The only issues that I have with Yugma is that you need to create a Yugma account to join a session, when you share your desktop, you share your Yugma interface (which I would consider to be a major issue).

Alternates:

• Mikogo
• ConferencingNow
• Yuuguu

After adding the Telephone app to your Facebook account, you can launch the service and make phone calls directly to your Facebook friends. In order to make a VoIP call, both you and your friend will need to also have the application as well as the downloadable software. But the good thing about having the software installed on your computer is that the Telephone app can then be used as a standalone desktop application for sending and receiving calls even when you don’t have Facebook open in a web browser.

Similar to Skype, you can make VoIP calls and send instant messages. And similar to Digsby, the desktop app enables you to communicate with Facebook friends without having to be logged into Facebook. So with so many features similar to existing applications, is it worth it to try the Telephone application at all?

There are a few features that may be of interest to you, depending on how often you need to communicate with Facebook friends. For instance, Telephone allows you to organize friends into groups for easy access and messaging, as well as leave voicemails for friends that aren’t currently available to talk. Telephone also displays your call history for additional information. The call history could prove useful given its direct integration with your Facebook network, offering insight into your own personal behavior and communication patterns.

I imagine such data could be useful to other services as well, from a non-personal standpoint. But one thing I’d love to see on the Telephone app is a more direct integration with Facebook’s existing chat tool, similar to Tokbox’s integration. This way, you can invite friends to add the Telephone app in a more direct manner, and more readily initiate VoIP calls with friends as well.

While the application is robust, it doesn’t appear as though the uptake has been good. A quick look at the application chart shows that traffic to the application has dropped significantly over the past month. While we’d assume that this trend will continue, perhaps the company will adopt practices that make the application more viral under the new design. For now we will have to wait and see. Go install the telphone application and judge for yourself how successful this will be.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less that a second to run).