Microsoft KB Archive/939401

= Error message when you try to install an update for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002: &quot;The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable&quot; =

Article ID: 939401

Article Last Modified on 11/6/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002 Enterprise Architect
 * Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002 Enterprise Developer
 * Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002 Professional Edition

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SYMPTOMS
When you try to install an update for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:

The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable.

Click OK to try again, or enter an alternate path to a folder containing the installation package  .msi in the box below.



CAUSE
Updates for Visual Studio are based on Windows Installer. Windows Installer uses file version numbers to determine whether a file on a computer is an older version that must be replaced by a newer file that is contained in an update.

Certain files, such as text files and source files, do not carry version numbers. Therefore, the Windows Installer-based update must use another method to verify newer files. This method uses a hash for all non-versioned files. For non-versioned files, the file hash of the file on the computer is compared with the file hash that is recorded in the Windows Installer database. If a difference is detected between these two file hashes, Setup tries to fetch the file from the source installation media.



WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, insert the product installation CD in the computer's CD ROM drive. Or, provide the path of the available installation media for the product. For example, the installation media may be available on the computer's hard disk or in a shared network folder.

If you are trying to deploy an update to many computers on which this issue may occur, we recommend that the installation media be made available in a shared network folder.

If you are using Visual Studio .NET 2002, and the installation source media is not available, you may be able to use the File Hash Delete tool to resolve the issue.

File Hash Delete tool for Visual Studio .NET 2002
Microsoft has released a File Hash Delete tool for Visual Studio .NET 2002. This tool deletes file hashes for all non-versioned files from the Windows Installer database on the computer. When you try to install an update for Visual Studio .NET 2002 after you run this tool, Windows Installer no longer recognizes a difference in the file hash. Therefore, you are no longer prompted to insert the source installation media.

Important When you run this tool, any non-versioned Visual Studio .NET 2002 file hashes are permanently deleted. This operation cannot be reversed. After you delete the file hashes, you can no longer repair any non-versioned files in the installed product files. Therefore, if a non-versioned file on the computer becomes corrupted, you must completely remove and then reinstall the product. Therefore, you should carefully consider the advantages and the disadvantages before you decide to use this tool.

If you decide that using this tool is appropriate for your situation, use the following information to obtain the File Hash Delete tool for Visual Studio .NET 2002: The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the File Hash Delete tool package now.

Release Date: November 5, 2007

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Note The File Hash Delete tool is not designed to be used with any product other than Visual Studio .NET 2002.



MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

944298 Error message when you try to install an update for Visual Studio 2005, for Visual Studio .NET 2003, or for Visual Studio .NET 2002: &quot;The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable&quot;

Additional query words: service pack SP1 prompt mismatch overwrite overwritten

Keywords: kbqfe atdownload kbfix kbexpertiseinter kberrmsg KB939401

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