We've all installed files in the GAC before, (right?) but how do you copy files FROM the GAC? I found a lot of little things here and there while Googling it, but nothing about copying a lot of files. I needed to copy a bunch of files and copying each file, one by one, takes a long time. I wanted one action to take care of all of it. The directory c:\windows\assembly doesn't allow you to copy-paste out of it. In order to pull files out, you have to use the command line. If you did, you'd notice that the directory structure is a bit different from what windows file explorer would tell you. After a little tinkering, I came up with this:
To pull out all files in the GAC, run this at this location:
C:\WINDOWS\assembly\GAC_MSIL>xcopy *.* C:\GACDLLs\ /s /r
The exact subdirectory of assembly might change. Check first. It might be GAC or GAC_32. Look for the files you want first, as you might have more than one of the subdirectories I listed above (I had all three).
Very cool. Saved me a lot of time.