Obtaining the .NET Framework

You need to have the Microsoft .NET Framework installed on your computer in order to run ChordSong. To see if it's already installed, do either of the following:

• Check Administrative Tools:
  1. Open Administrative Tools. (Depending on your version of Windows, Administrative Tools may be an applet in Windows Control Panel, or a submenu in your Windows Start menu.)
  2. In Administrative Tools, look for an applet called "Microsoft .NET Framework x.x Configuration" (where "x.x" is a version number, such as "3.5"). If you see this applet, then the .NET Framework is already installed.
• Or, check your computer's Windows Registry. If you don't know how to look at your Registry, then you probably shouldn't try this; this is a technique for more advanced users. If you do know how to look to your Registry, then look for this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\.NETFramework. If this key exists, then the .NET Framework is already installed.

If you don't already have the .NET Framework, you can download it for free from Microsoft. There are two ways to do this:

• Use the Microsoft Downloads site:
  1. Go to www.microsoft.com/downloads.
  2. Use the search options to find the latest ".NET Framework Redistributable". To help find this, you can choose ".NET" in the Product/Technology dropdown listbox.
• Or, you can use Windows Update (find Windows Update in your Windows Start Menu). The advantage of Windows Update over the Microsoft Downloads site is that Windows Update automatically finds new components (like the .NET Framework) that you don't already have, so you don't have to search for what you need.

A warning for those with dialup Internet connections: The .NET Framework is a large download (20 MB or more). But, as time goes on, more and more new software is going to require the .NET Framework, so you might as well go ahead and get it now.