Install .Net Framework on Windows 8.1 Using Offline Method

With the release of new windows 8.1 RTM otherwise known as windows 8 blue, most of you might have migrated to the new fast and robust windows 8. Even though you have updated your operating system, majority of our softwares are still based on the predecessor, windows 7. Windows have done a great job by adding backward compatibility feature, which provides you with backward compatibility upto Windows XP service pack 3.

The new windows 8.1 comes with preinstalled .net framework leaving us a ready to run .net environment. But certain applications that we use require .net 3.5 or later which can’t run using the latest .net 4.5. so every once in a while you might come across a windows like the one shown bellow, prompting you to download .net Framework 3.5 form internet, which is time consuming and slow.

It’s quite funny that the windows 8 DVD from which you install your windows 8 actually contains the .net 3.5, but ironically this feature is not installed on your computer during the time of O.S. installation. But the best thing that I like about windows platform is that, for every problem it has, there is a work around. All you need is the DVD of windows 8 or its ISO file. So let’s being

• First you need to inset the windows 8 disk. If you don’t have the disk you can also use the ISO file, which can be mounted on windows 8 just by double clicking on the file itself. If you are trying to install .net 3.5 from the older versions of windows like windows 7, then you need to mount the image using some tool like PowerISO.
  
  
• After the disk has been inserted or mounted, run command prompt as administrator. You can run cmd as admin by right clicking on the right hand side of the desktop, where the start pop up appears(from where you launch the metro app list).
  
  
• Once you have opened cmd as admin, type in
  
  
  “Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /All /Source:
  E:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess”
  
  (assuming that your Windows 8 DVD or the mounted ISO is in drive E) and press Enter.
  
  
• Now windows will start installing the application and u can see the progress on the CMD screen. Once it’s finished, then you are done. .Net 3.5 has been installed on your computer without any network connection.