# SocketTools 12 Subscription

Version 12.0.3032.1318  
This release of SocketTools which includes .NET assemblies, ActiveX controls (OCXs) and dynamic link libraries (DLLs) for the Windows platform. All components are digitally signed and can be redistributed to end users.

When you install a new version of SocketTools on your development system, you will be prompted to provide your product serial number, or you can install with an evaluation license which is valid for thirty (30) days. If you are updating SocketTools, it is not necessary to uninstall the previous version. The installer will automatically update the components on your development system using your existing license.

SocketTools 12 can be installed side-by-side with previous versions. For example, you can have both SocketTools 11 and SocketTools 12 installed on the same development system. However, you should not attempt to reference different versions of the same component within a project.

This release includes assemblies for both .NET 8.0 with Visual Studio 2022 and .NET 10.0 with Visual Studio 2026.

## Installation

The self-installing executable in this archive will install SocketTools for use in a development environment. It should not be used to install the SocketTools components on an end-user system.

To assist with deployment to end users, we provide Windows Installer (MSI) packages which can be used install the redistributable components. For more information, refer to our Knowledge Base [article](https://sockettools.com/kb/sockettools-windows-installer-packages/).

By default, SocketTools will be installed to **C:\Program Files (x86)\SocketTools 12.0 Subscription** and you can change this folder with new installations. If you are updating SocketTools, the installer will replace files in the original installation folder.

Although SocketTools defaults to the 32-bit Program Files folder, it will install both 32-bit and 64-bit components on a 64-bit Windows system. The .NET assemblies are installed in the common folder **C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SocketTools\12.0\Assemblies** and are platform neutral. They can be referenced by projects which target either the x86 or x64 platforms.

SocketTools 12 is not supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows Server 2003. An error message will be displayed if you attempt to install SocketTools on an unsupported platform.

## Digital Signatures

The SocketTools installer packages and components have been digitally signed with an extended validation (EV) Authenticode certificate which uses SHA-256 signatures. Security software on older, unsupported platforms may report the installers as having an invalid certificate because they only recognize MD5 and SHA-1 signatures.

## Redistribution

If you are installing SocketTools with an evaluation license, you will not be able to redistribute the components to another system. The evaluation license is only valid on the local system for testing purposes by the user who installed the product.

If you install SocketTools with a serial number, it will create the development license required to redistribute the components to other users. There are no additional runtime licensing requirements, and the components can be redistributed to as many end users as required.

For assistance with deploying your applications, we have Knowledge Base articles for each component type included in the SocketTools Subscription:

- [SocketTools .NET Redistribution](https://sockettools.com/kb/sockettools-12-dotnet-redistribution/)

- [SocketTools ActiveX Redistribution](https://sockettools.com/kb/sockettools-12-activex-redistribution/)

- [SocketTools Library Redistribution](https://sockettools.com/kb/sockettools-12-library-redistribution/)

The articles describe how to create the runtime license key for your projects and how it is used. The requirements are similar for each component type, and the same license key should be used with each component. 

## System Requirements

SocketTools 12 supports all modern Windows desktop and server platforms. We recommend you install the latest security updates from Windows Update and the current network drivers available for your system. The minimum supported platform is Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

SocketTools includes both 32-bit and 64-bit components. We recommend development on 64-bit versions of Windows, and for the broadest compatibility with most end-user systems, we recommend targeting your project for the x86 (32-bit) platform.

Targeting the x86 platform will ensure your application will work on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. A 32-bit application can run on 64-bit Windows under WoW64; however, a 64-bit application cannot run on 32-bit versions of Windows.

## Examples

The examples for SocketTools are placed in your Documents folder, under **SocketTools Examples**. They are placed there so you can easily modify them without having to copy them out of the installation folder.

