Cant delete orphaned content type, it says : "The content type is part of an application feature."

Question

I created site from existing site template that previous vendor working with company created. I could figure that they saved site as template and when you do that sharepoint creates sandboxed solution. When I create site based on that template, it adds orphaned
content type and when I try to delete it, it gives error : "The content type is part of an application feature.".
I looked on internet but solutions dont seem to fit in my scenario.
Following are possible solutions I read on net.
1) Deactivate feature that has content type and all dependencies for content type and then delete content type --- In my case there is no feature in feature galary that you can deactivate as it is part of site template.
2)Get the WSP and edit in visual studio, I am working on client machine and I do not have access to sharepoint server. When I try to create new visual studio project with "Import sharepoint solution package", it says Sharepoint server is not installed
on this computer. I tried to get Microsoft.Sharepoint dll from Microsoft virtual lab but I can only work on web client and windows client doesnt work. Web client is not letting me copy files into my local desktop.
Any suggestions ? I just need to take that content type out and generate WSP and upload it back
Dhaval Raval

Answer 1

Below is how I recreated problem , my findings and solution to this problem (Everything is done through Sharepoint UI)
Problem :
Create site and create custom content type using sharepoint UI.
Save site as template.
Use above template to create new site.
New site contains orphaned content type, when you try to delete that unnecessary content type sharepoint gives error: The content type is part of an application feature. Sharepoint will not let you delete this content type.
Delete original site from which template was created.
Findings:
When you save site as template, sharepoint creates and activates Sandboxed solution in solution gallery of Root Site.
Sandbox solution has same name that you gave when saving site as template.
Activation of Sandboxed solution adds feature having name of original site from which template was created, and this is Site Collection Feature. I could not find any site feature for it and also I could not find any site feature for custom content type
as well. I think when you create content type through Sharepoint UI, it doesnt create site feature for that.
Deactivating site collection feature for that site template doesn't let you delete that orphaned content type from newly created site.
Solution:
If you deactivate Sandboxed solution from Solutions gallery, it will remove corresponding site collection feature as well as that orphaned content type from site. Reactivating that solution doesn't add orphaned content type back to newly created site.
Above process only deletes orphaned content type from newly created existing site but you will have same problem when you create more new sites from that site template.
I would say once your problem is fixed with deleting content type, solution is to replace site template. In this way newly created sites wont have same problem again.
Dhaval Raval