SyntaxHighlighter

Monday, November 4, 2013

SQL Server 2012 SP1 Needs NetFx3 (.NET Framework)

Today I imaged a brand new copy of Windows 8.1 and started installing software. First up, SQL Server 2012 SP1. Halfway through the installation, I received a typically cryptic Microsoft error message:

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 Setup

The following error has occurred:

Error while enabling Windows feature : NetFx3, Error Code : -2146498298 , Please try enabling Windows Feature : NetFx3 from Windows management tools and then mrun setup again. For more information on how to enable Windows features , see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linki=227143
Wow, that was particularly bad. It almost seems like it was written by a reptilian. No matter, the message provided almost nothing useful unless one knows how to decode internal Microsoft lingo.

This one says "You need to install .NET framework 3.5, which comes with Windows, but isn't installed by default."

In Windows 8.1, press the Windows key (on your keyboard - the one that looks like a flag between the Ctrl and Alt keys), type the word "features" and after the search is done, you will see "Turn Windows Features On or Off". Click that.

Next, scroll through the list (actually, it's at the very top). Click ".NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)". Then click OK.



After the installation is complete, you should be able to simply continue your SQL Server installation without a problem. Unfortunately, after the feature installation, you need to restart your SQL Server installation (sad face). Note that SQL Server Setup will let you continue -- but the important features you are looking for (the database and management tools) will not be installed and you will need to uninstall and reinstall to get back to what you want. Best to just cancel it and start over!