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.NET: Installation Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, Windows 8, and 8.1

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Overview

In this post, we talk about Dot Net 3.5 installation in several Windows versions.

In Server 2012 or 2012 R2

  1. Find and remove these 3 hot-fixes in Control panel: KB2966826, KB2966827, KB2966828
  2. Pop in the Windows DVD media, and install DOT NET 3.5 from the Server Manager -> Add Roles and Features

In Windows 8 or 8.1

  1. Find and remove these 3 hot-fixes in Control panel: KB2966826, KB2966827, KB2966828

  2. Pop in the Windows DVD media, and run the command 

    Dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /source:d:\sources\sxs /all

Ways To Install

Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, Windows 8, and 8.1 come with DOT NET 4 or 4.5 but not 3.5. DOT NET 3.5 came with Server 2008, 2008 R2, and Windows 7. It was easily installed as a standalone executable. A lot of older applications need DOT NET 3.5 to run.

With Server 2012/Windows 8 and up, we cannot just install DOT NET 3.5 from the executable. That errors out.

In Server 2012 and up, we're supposed to install roles and features from Server Manager -> Add Roles and Features:

First, go to control panel/uninstall a program/View installed updated, and remove any of these updates if you find them:

  • KB2966826
  • KB2966827
  • KB2966828

or, use this Powershell script:

$RemoveMe = "KB2966826","KB2966827","KB2966828"
$HotFixes = Get-HotFix | Sort HotFixID
 
Write-Host "Hotfixes installed on this system are:"  -ForegroundColor Green
$HotFixes.HotFixID
 
if ($HotFixes.HotFixID -in $RemoveMe) {
    Write-Host "Found matching Hotfixes:"  -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $HotFixes.HotFixID -match "KB296682"
} else {
    Write-Host "No matching Hotfixes Found"  -ForegroundColor Green
}
<# 
To remove:
 
$HotFixes | % {
    if ($_.HotFixID -in $RemoveMe) {
        "Removing Hotfix: $($_.HotfixId)"
        Invoke-Expression "wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:$($_.HotfixId.Replace('KB','')) /quiet /norestart"
    } 
}
 
#>

Note

Un-comment the lines at the bottom to remove.

Add DOT NET 3.5 as a feature:

That shows the warning that the media is missing:

Click "Specify an alternate source path"

Put the Windows DVD in drive D: and type in d:\sources\sxs

That's all.

In Windows 8 and above, we can use the DISM command to do the same:

Dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /source:d:\sources\sxs /all

Again, d: is your DVD drive letter

See Also