Firewall software may cause a Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio .NET installation to stop responding (hang)

When you install Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or Microsoft Visual Studio .NET programs, the WCU does not install all the Microsoft .NET Framework components. The WCU installation may stop responding while it is installing the Microsoft .NET Framework.

If you use third-party firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm Pro, the firewall software may prevent some Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) services from starting correctly. This prevents the WCU from installing all the Microsoft .NET Framework components.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Warning This workaround may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

To resolve the problem of ZoneAlarm Pro firewall software, use the following methods:

• Add a new registry subkey that is named W3SVC.
• Turn off the firewall service.

Add a new registry subkey that is named W3SVC

1. On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows NT or later, use Registry Editor.
2. Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vsmon.
   
   Note Vsmon is a service that is installed by ZoneAlarm Pro.
3. In the right pane, double-click DependOnService.
4. In the Edit Multi-String dialog box, you will see a list of items that might include Afd, RpcSs, and Vsdatant. Add W3SVC to the end of this list, and then click OK.
5. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Turn off the firewall service

Important These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We recommend the process that this article describes to enable programs to operate as they are designed to, or to implement specific program capabilities. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this process in your particular environment. If you choose to implement this process, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect your system. We recommend that you use this process only if you really require this process.

On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Warning This workaround may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

1. Click Start, click Run, type MSConfig.exe, and then click OK.
2. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, on the General tab, click Selective Startup.
3. Click to clear all check boxes under Selective Startup.
4. Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
   
   Note The services that are not related to Microsoft and that are running on the computer are listed.
5. Click to clear all check boxes.
6. Click the Startup tab, and then click to clear all firewall check boxes and all antivirus program check boxes.
7. Click Apply, and then click OK.
8. Restart the computer after you receive a message to restart.

Note After you install Visual Studio .NET, start the MSConfig.exe utility, select all check boxes that you cleared to resolve this problem, and then restart the computer.

On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000

Warning This workaround may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools.
3. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Services.
4. In the Services snap-in, disable the firewall service that is running:
   1. Right-click the firewall service, and then click Properties. The properties dialog box of the firewall service appears.
   2. On the General tab, set the Startup type to Disabled.
5. Restart the computer.

Note If you turn off the services, you must manually turn them on again after you install Visual Studio .NET.

For information about what to do if you have third-party firewall software other than ZoneAlarm Pro installed on your computer, see the "More information" section.

This problem occurs with many third-party firewall products. The firewall software may interfere with some IIS services. If you view the IIS services by using the Service Manager, you may notice that some IIS services, such as the World Wide Web Publishing service, the FTP Publish service, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service, are in "Starting" status instead of in "Started" status. You may also notice that some IIS services never start while the firewall software is running.

When you install Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or Microsoft Visual Studio .NET programs, the .NET Framework tries to stop all IIS services. If the IIS services never enter the "Started" status, the installation process will stop responding.

Your firewall software provider may have an update to resolve this problem. We recommend that you contact your software provider for updates to your firewall software.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.