The World According to Mitch

The day to day ramblings of an IT Professional (and so much more…)

Installing NetFx3 on Windows Server 2012

image

Okay… I am installing SQL Server 2012 on a Windows Server 2012 box, there shouldn’t be any problems.  Everything is proceeding normally until I get this message:

Error while enabling Windows feature : NetFx3, Error Code : –2146498298 , Please try enabling Windows Feature : NetFx3 from Windows management tools and then run setup again.

No problem… I know how to install Windows Features; I start the Add roles and Features Wizard and go looking for NetFx3… it’s not there.

Problem.

It turns out that Windows Server 2012 does not include NetFx3 when it is installing.  It doesn’t mean that it is gone, but it does have to be installed separately.  Here’s what you do:

1) Insert your Windows Server 2012 media.  As I was installing SQL Server in a Hyper-V VM I ejected the SQL media and attached my Windows Server 2012 ISO.  I then checked to see what drive letter it was (D:).

2) I opened a Command Prompt with administrative credentials.  From the Start Screen I typed CMD but instead of clicking on it or pressing ENTER I right-clicked, and at the bottom clicked on Run As Administrator.

3) From the Command Prompt I typed the following command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /all /source:d:\sources\sxs

image

The Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool is one of the easiest ways to install features in Windows when the GUI fails you. 

Note: Unfortunately, if you encounter this error you will have to restart your installation of SQL Server.  That doesn’t mean you should cancel it out at this point… what I did was I left the error message on the screen while I resolved the NetFx3 issue, and then let it resume.  The SQL Server installation succeeded, with several failures.  I then went back and re-installed SQL on top of the old, with the features that I needed.  It worked just fine for me, and it should for you.

Mitch Garvis

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81 responses to “Installing NetFx3 on Windows Server 2012”

  1. Brad Chen’s SQL Server Blog

    SQL Server 2012 Installing on Windows Server 2012, Error while enabling Windows feature : NetFx3, Error Code : –2146498298…

    1.安裝過程發生Error while enabling Windows Feature NetFx3, Error Code : –2146498298 的警告。 Error while…

    Reply
    1. Hasitha Maduranga Avatar
      Hasitha Maduranga

      ENABLE THE .NET FRAMEWORK 3.5 IN CONTROL PANEL.
      screen shots:http://articledwh.blogspot.com/2016/05/problemsql-server-2012-install-error.html

      Reply
  2. SQL Server 2012 Installing on Windows Server 2012, Error while enabling Windows feature : NetFx3, Error Code : –2146498298 | MSDN Blogs

    […] https://garvis.ca/2013/01/04/installing-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012/ […]

    Reply
    1. Hasitha Maduranga Avatar
      Hasitha Maduranga

      Please check this tutorial for solution:http://articledwh.blogspot.com/2016/05/problemsql-server-2012-install-error.html

      Reply
  3. Stephen Wyndham Avatar
    Stephen Wyndham

    Nice work

    Reply
  4. Carlos Avatar
    Carlos

    Thank you.

    Reply
  5. rahulbabarit Avatar
    rahulbabarit

    Thanks for sharing the article.
    For me I did not get the above error but the setup was stuck for longer at stage Enabling OS Feature NetFx3. I guess I had to wait more to get the above error. I ran this command while the setup was stuck. The command went well and the setup was able to proceed further.

    Thanks,
    Rahul Babar

    Reply
  6. Kris Avatar
    Kris

    Thanks a lot! Exactly what I needed!

    Reply
  7. Alan Ceey Avatar
    Alan Ceey

    Thanks Mitch ur solution really worked for me

    Reply
  8. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    got a message that the source files could not be downloaded with error code 0x800f0906 after 66.3% completed. Anyone experience this and get a resolution?

    Reply
    1. Schalk Avatar
      Schalk

      Did you manage to get it going. Have the same error

      Reply
      1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
        Mitch Garvis

        Yes… follow the instructions in my article 🙂

      2. Josh Avatar
        Josh

        Thanks, Tried your suggestion – but no joy here. I have the cd mounted in drive E, tried it there, and also copied the /sources/sxs folder to D:\ (D:\sources\sxs\).
        Any Idea what I’m doing wrong here?

        ————————–
        C:\Windows\system32>dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /all /source:d:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess (also tried without limitaccess)

        Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
        Version: 6.2.9200.16384

        Image Version: 6.2.9200.16384

        Enabling feature(s)
        [===========================66.6%====== ]

        Error: 0x800f0906

        The source files could not be downloaded.
        Use the “source” option to specify the location of the files that are required t
        o restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see
        http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.

        The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log

      3. Josh Avatar
        Josh

        —>Solution:
        To fix it, what I ended up doing was sharing out the C:\Windows\WinSxS folder from another 2012 box on the same network. Then mapped that share in the local server.
        Then pointed the server giving me these errors to that share, and wallah!
        For some reason it would not accept the source as local files on the server. Even mouonting the iso on a virtual drive it wouldn’t accept them.

        I’m guessing the local binaries on that server were corrupt or something.

      4. Mitch Garvis Avatar
        Mitch Garvis

        Hi Josh,
        That is great news! I was going to offer a few suggestions, but thank you for sharing the solution. -M

      5. Andries Avatar
        Andries

        I had the same issue, at the end of the day we realised we had the wrong ISO version mounted.
        We have Server 2012 Standard and the mounted ISO version was Server 2012 Standard R2.

        After mounting the correct ISO all was good!

  9. Russ Avatar
    Russ

    Spot on!
    Thank you

    Reply
  10. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Thanks

    Reply
  11. ob Avatar
    ob

    Thanks

    Reply
  12. Confluence: Hosting Platform

    How to install SQL Server 2012 for the first time

    This page will record the various trials and tribulations to getting SQL Server 2012 to work in Hosting for the first time. SQL Installation fails with “error while enabling windows feature: netfx3” See here:

    Reply
  13. Installing NetFx3 feature on Windows Server 2012 using DISM | HeelpBook Mobile

    […] SOURCELINK […]

    Reply
  14. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Simply installing the Application Server Role and choosing to include .NET 3.5 will resolve this issue as well.

    Reply
    1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
      Mitch Garvis

      While that is true, it adds more than you need. Your choice 🙂

      Reply
  15. Dario Avatar
    Dario

    Thanks, saved me bunch of time.

    Reply
  16. B- Mack Avatar
    B- Mack

    I got same error as per above while installing SQL Server 2012. I tried numerous times executing the command and to no avail. I then connected the server to the internet and the error was gone. Still cant figure out what the internet connection resolved as the installation never showed its downloading anything !!!

    Reply
    1. mirza Avatar
      mirza

      yea excellent Brther
      i was also stuck on NetFx3 but after read your comment i disconnect my ineternet connection and again connect then it move forword
      Thanks

      Reply
  17. alexandredavid Avatar
    alexandredavid

    thank you very much for that… exactly the same problem for me !

    Reply
  18. Créer son environnement de développement SharePoint 2013 sur VMWare Player / Windows Seven | SharePoint 2013 - Blog technique d'Alexandre DAVID Avatar
    Créer son environnement de développement SharePoint 2013 sur VMWare Player / Windows Seven | SharePoint 2013 – Blog technique d’Alexandre DAVID

    […] : NetFx3, Erreur Code : –2146498298 “. Je l’ai résolue grâce à un billet de Mitch Garvis (il faut remonter l’iso Windows Server 2012 et lancer l’installation en ligne de […]

    Reply
  19. Terry Avatar
    Terry

    Superb – thankyou very much

    Reply
  20. Yik Avatar
    Yik

    You rock dude! Saved my bacon.

    Reply
  21. Vizaint Avatar
    Vizaint

    The same problem the same solution,
    ThankYou

    Reply
  22. vsd Avatar
    vsd

    good thk

    Reply
  23. Partouche David

    TP 01 Installation de SQL 2012 sur Windows 2012 R2 Preview

    TP 01 Installation de SQL 2012 sur Windows 2012 R2 Preview

    Reply
  24. Luiz Fernando Avatar
    Luiz Fernando

    It Works!! Thank’s!

    Reply
  25. Christopher C Avatar
    Christopher C

    Thanks, worked great. I used software called Pismo to just mount the .iso file for Windows Server. No CD needed and you don’t have to unmount or take out your SQL CD.

    Reply
  26. Killian Kane Avatar
    Killian Kane

    Why didn’t you just right-click & mount haha?!?
    ISO mounting is built into NT 6.2

    Reply
  27. David Michael Avatar
    David Michael

    Many thanks… worked perfectly for me! Being that I’m a sys admin who has fallen into an occasional DBA role, I’m glad to see it wasn’t as convoluted as I had originally feared.

    Reply
  28. dejan Avatar
    dejan

    Actual, you just need to check if ***Windows Update service is running****. If stopped, then NetFx3 will not be enable.

    Reply
    1. Chris Avatar
      Chris

      Not true for me: The service is running, the error message is there.

      Reply
  29. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Hi there,

    my .NET 3.5 install is just stuck here:
    —-
    C:\Users\administrator.DOMAIN> dism.exe /online /enable-feature /all /featurename:NetFX3 /Source:D:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

    Tool zur Imageverwaltung für die Bereitstellung
    Version: 6.3.9600.16384

    Abbildversion: 6.3.9600.16384

    —-
    It just doesn’t get any further for about two hours now.

    Any Ideas what is wrong?

    Reply
    1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
      Mitch Garvis

      Hi Michael,

      I wish I could help… unfortunately I don’t speak German. Good luck though. -M

      Reply
      1. Michael Avatar
        Michael

        Hi Mitch,

        that is the output from the dism tool like in your last screenshot. But it is stopping with the
        “Image Version: 6.3.9600.16384”
        And not starting to enable the features. I’m stuck there.

        Currently I am rebooting after 2 Windows Updates Installations. But I don’t think that this was the solution. So I would appreciate any help.

        Best Regards,
        Michael

      2. Mitch Garvis Avatar
        Mitch Garvis

        Hi Michael,
        I wish I had the time to help… I think your best bet would be posting to the TechNet Forums. Good luck! -MDG

      3. Michael Avatar
        Michael

        Hi Mitch,
        after installing the Windows Updates on this server the feature installation worked via the GUI. I hope this information helps other users browsing your site.
        Regards

  30. Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Setup Error when enabling NetFx3 | Perfect Choice Avatar
    Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Setup Error when enabling NetFx3 | Perfect Choice

    […] Courtsey-https://garvis.ca/2013/01/04/installing-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012/ […]

    Reply
  31. Less Than Dot – Blog – Awesome

    […] the command line geeks amongst us, read the following blog post on how to enable .NET 3.5 using […]

    Reply
  32. ced Avatar
    ced

    Many thanks, you save my life !

    Reply
  33. stew2407 Avatar
    stew2407

    worked like a charm, THANKS!

    Reply
  34. vCenter Server 5.5 on SQL Server 2012 installation – Part 1 | w o j c i e h . n e t

    […] blog https://garvis.ca/2013/01/04/installing-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012/  it is explained how to […]

    Reply
  35. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    thanks for the help!!!

    Reply
  36. Marian Avatar
    Marian

    Thanks for the solution and additional comments!

    To avoid dism.exe errors I had to use instead:
    Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-Core -Source D:\sources\sxs

    Reply
  37. vCenter Server SQL Server 2012 installation | Nicholas Gerasimatos – Managing virtual environments with VMware, Cisco UCS, and OpenStack

    […] blog https://garvis.ca/2013/01/04/installing-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012/  it is explained how to […]

    Reply
  38. Faizel Mootheril Avatar
    Faizel Mootheril

    It worked! Thank you Mitch!

    Reply
    1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
      Mitch Garvis

      I am so glad 🙂 Thanks for letting me know 🙂 -MDG

      Reply
  39. thomasrushton Avatar
    thomasrushton

    Thanks for the post – just going through the rest of the fix now.

    Reply
  40. SQL Server 2012 installation – Error while enabling Windows Feature NetFx3 | The Lone DBA

    […] quick search led me to “The World According to Mitch”, which has a useful post “Installing NetFx3 on Windows Server 2012″ that shows this very error (complete with screenshot, if you really need to see […]

    Reply
  41. Vijaypal singh sajwan Avatar
    Vijaypal singh sajwan

    thanks for the help!

    Reply
  42. David Schlum Avatar
    David Schlum

    Thanks for the great post! I was able to use it successfully.

    Another item that you may consider since you have to start your install over again is to use the Configuration File that was originally generated. In the Summary file, look for an entry called “Configuration File:.” After successfully installing .NET 3.5, restart the SQL Server Installation but choose Advanced, then Install based on configuration file. Then navigate to the path found earlier. This will prefill all the entries based on what you chose the first time. The only thing you have to do is retype the passwords for the service accounts if you changed those.

    Reply
  43. dowlers Avatar
    dowlers

    This really helped me out. Thank you.

    Reply
  44. Subba Reddy Avatar
    Subba Reddy

    yes it really helped me. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  45. Belzaleel Madrigal Jasso Avatar
    Belzaleel Madrigal Jasso

    Thanks!,

    Reply
  46. khadijat Avatar
    khadijat

    its not working it given me about 87errors and feature name is not found ,when using d administrative cmd prompt .i realy need help and i dont kno what to do

    Reply
  47. kosiverli Avatar
    kosiverli

    hope you notice me.. is it only applicable for 32bit pc? how about 64bit? I;m using 64bit.. ><

    Reply
    1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
      Mitch Garvis

      It works on x64… There is no x86 version of Server 2012 😉

      Reply
      1. kosiverli Avatar
        kosiverli

        okay thanks.. already solved it.. thanks

      2. kosiverli Avatar
        kosiverli

        by the way, can I asked again? have you encountered an unhandled win32 scenarioengine.exe error during installation of SQL Express 2012?

  48. Milos Avatar
    Milos

    Thanks, it worked!

    Reply
  49. Diego Benedictos Jr Avatar
    Diego Benedictos Jr

    Thank you Mitch!

    Reply
  50. Mike Nelson Avatar
    Mike Nelson

    Worked great for me, THANK YOU!

    Reply
  51. Ash Avatar
    Ash

    The installation was stuck on NetFx3 so in anticipation I had CMD all up and ready with your solution, but then the installation carried on to finish 😦 Thanks for the tip though!

    Reply
  52. vivek Avatar
    vivek

    by following the above address i am getting this error in my CMD

    The referenced assembly is not installed on your system.

    The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log.

    Can you please rearrange the path according this?

    Reply
  53. Chris Miles Avatar
    Chris Miles

    Thank you for this– it worked well. I did not have access to the original Server 2012 media, so downloaded the ISO file from the TechNet site as an evaluation, mounted it as virtual drive, and used your command line. Brilliant.

    Reply
  54. Riyaz Avatar
    Riyaz

    Thank You

    Reply
  55. martinyates1 Avatar
    martinyates1

    This didnt work for me, but I found a way to install with the features wizard
    http://sqlblog.com/blogs/sergio_govoni/archive/2013/07/13/how-to-install-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012-required-by-sql-server-2012.aspx

    Reply
    1. Khadijat Mukhtar Avatar
      Khadijat Mukhtar

      No On 16 Jan 2016 02:42, “The World According to Mitch” wrote:

      > martinyates1 commented: “This didnt work for me, but I found a way to > install with the features wizard > http://sqlblog.com/blogs/sergio_govoni/archive/2013/07/13/how-to-install-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012-required-by-sql-server-2012.aspx > ” >

      Reply
    2. Hasitha Maduranga Avatar
      Hasitha Maduranga

      http://articledwh.blogspot.com/2016/05/problemsql-server-2012-install-error.html

      Reply
  56. elizbeth truss Avatar
    elizbeth truss

    Valuable piece , I was fascinated by the points . Does someone know if my assistant might be able to obtain a sample a form form to work with ?

    Reply
  57. networkdisa Avatar
    networkdisa

    you save my day.
    thank you lot

    Reply
  58. Ocsetup.dll Error

    […] Installing NetFx3 on Windows Server 2012 | The World According to. – Jan 4, 2013. Okay… I am installing SQL Server 2012 on a Windows Server 2012 box, there shouldn't be any problems. Everything is proceeding normally until I get this message: Error while enabling Windows feature : NetFx3, Error Code : – 2146498298 , Please try enabling Windows Feature : NetFx3 from Windows. […]

    Reply
  59. Mark E. Avatar
    Mark E.

    Josh… thank so much… this ones a killer, your idea to share, then map worked for me. Enjoy a little bit of a spring in your step with then karma bump 😉 All the best (to everyone here including the OP, of course).

    Reply
  60. Installation de SQL 2012 sur Windows 2012 R2 – Formateur Consultant SharePoint, Windows, Exchange & Office 365

    […] Et la solution ici https://garvis.ca/2013/01/04/installing-netfx3-on-windows-server-2012/ […]

    Reply

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