Recently, I ran into an issue where the .Net 3.5 Feature install fails on Windows 2012. Many search engine searches, blog posts, and message board posts later, I found a solution.

As you may know Windows Server 2012 comes with the .Net Framework 4.5 feature preinstalled. It does not have the .Net Framework 3.5 feature installed. Normally, it is an easy process to add the feature – Server Manager->Add Feature->Check the .Net Framework 3.5 feature->Install. But what if the server you are attempting to install .Net 3.5 onto is not allowed to connect to the Internet? If it is a VM, quickly attach a Windows Server 2012 .iso and specify an alternate source path and point it to “[DVD Drive Letter]:\sources\sxs” and it installs, right?

Well not every time. Most of the servers I have come across, usually fresh builds, attaching the ISO and specifying it as a the alternate source path does the trick. But I have found a couple servers that will fail indicating that the correct files are not in the attached .ISO, even though they are. The specific error I received was 0x800F081F.

I finally found the correct KB article that outlined the correct issue with a resolution. I found numerous other reasons why .Net 3.5 wouldn’t install but this was the cause. I also found that if any language packs were installed prior to trying to install the feature, it would also fail. Any language pack installed, needs to be uninstalled and then the feature enabled, then the language pack(s) can be reinstalled.

The KB article points out that if either KB2966827 or KB2966828 were installed on the system, the .Net Framework 3.5 feature installation would fail, regardless of where the source of the files were. I downloaded the fix and installed it on the server (no reboot required!), and the feature was enabled without issue.