Downloading and installing .NET Framework 2.0 results in a not a windows application error

Most of the time this issue points back to a corrupted download.  Redowndownloading the package to a different directory will normally do the trick.

The place to download the framework from:

https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx

You will need to make sure that you download the right architecture that matches your machine.