Skip to content
Home » Microsoft » Azure » Installing .NET Framework 3.5 on Azure Windows Server 2012 R2

Installing .NET Framework 3.5 on Azure Windows Server 2012 R2

.NET Framework is a crucial component of any Windows-based system, and having it installed on your Azure Windows Server 2012 R2 is essential to ensure the proper functioning of your applications. We understand that navigating the Azure environment can be challenging, especially for those who are new to cloud computing. That’s why we’ve put together this webpage to guide you through the process of installing .NET Framework 3.5 on your Azure Windows Server 2012 R2 using simple and easy-to-follow instructions.

For whatever reason the default build of Server 2012 R2 on Azure comes with updates that prohibit the installation of .NET Framework 3.5 which happens to be a pre-req for dirsync and several other Microsoft utilities.

Finding the fix for this was a real pain, so please enjoy the fruits of my work:

  1. Go to ‘Programs and Features’ and click on ‘view installed updates’
  2. uninstall KB2966828 and/or KB2966827 from your server
  3. Launch powershell as an administrator
  4. run the following command (without quotes): ‘Install-WindowsFeature Net-Framework-Core’
    the .Net Framework should install successfully. if it doesn’t, you may need to copy the \sources\sxs folder from a server 2012 R2 disk to your azure VM and include a ‘-source c:\whatever\sxs’ in your command (example: Install-WindowsFeature Net-Framework-Core -source C:_install\sxs).
  5. run windows update and update everything.
  6. you should be good to go

Thank you for visiting our website and we hope that our instructions for installing .NET framework 3.5 on an azure server have been helpful to you. If you found our guide informative and useful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues who might also benefit from this knowledge. Your support in spreading the word about our website is greatly appreciated and will help us continue to provide valuable resources to the world. Thank you again for your time and we look forward to your continued support.

Many thanks to the author of this article:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sql_shep/archive/2012/08/01/windows-2012-and-net-3-5-feature-install.aspx