Updated: what to do if other .NET Framework setup troubleshooting steps do not help

A while back, I posted a set of instructions that can be used to try to resolve .NET Framework installation issues in case other troubleshooting steps listed on my blog, in knowledge base articles or elsewhere do not work.  Those steps are out of date now because several new versions of the .NET Framework have been released since then, a new verification tool has been released and there are some other helpful steps that are not listed there.  Instead of trying to update those steps in that old post, I decided to write a replacement post that contains the new information.

I have created a .NET Framework troubleshooting guide that contains links to information about various types of .NET Framework installation issues that we've seen over the years.  However, the links in that article do not cover all possible errors, and there are likely some scenarios that cannot be resolved by any of the workarounds listed in that article.

If you run into an issue installing or using the .NET Framework or a .NET Framework hotfix or service pack, and the links in the .NET Framework troubleshooting guide do not help, I usually suggest trying the following steps in order to get your system back into a known state and then re-installing the .NET Framework and any hotfixes or service packs that apply to it:

  1. Go to the Add/Remove Programs control panel and attempt to repair the version of the .NET Framework that is causing problems on the systemNote: There are a few versions of the .NET Framework that are installed as OS components, and therefore will not appear in Add/Remove Programs.  The .NET Framework 1.0 is an OS component on Windows XP Media Center and Tablet PC Editions.  The .NET Framework 1.1 is an OS component on Windows Server 2003.  The .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0 are OS components on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.  The .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 are OS components on Windows 7.  The .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.5 are OS components on Windows 8.
  2. If a repair does not help, then try to download and run the .NET Framework Repair Tool to see if it can find and fix any issues with the .NET Framework on your computer.
  3. If the repair tool does not help, then go to the Add/Remove Programs control panel and attempt to uninstall the version of the .NET Framework that is causing problems on the system
  4. If uninstall still fails from Add/Remove Programs, download the .NET Framework cleanup tool and choose to remove the version of the .NET Framework that is causing problems on your system
  5. Download and install the version of the .NET Framework that you cleaned up in step 2 or 3.  Here are some download links for various versions of the .NET Framework:.NET Framework 1.0 .NET Framework 1.1 .NET Framework 2.0
    .NET Framework 3.0
    .NET Framework 3.5 .NET Framework 4 .NET Framework 4.5 .NET Framework 4.5.1 .NET Framework 4.5.2 .NET Framework 4.6 .NET Framework 4.6.1 .NET Framework 4.6.2 .NET Framework 4.7 .NET Framework 4.7.1 .NET Framework 4.7.2
  6. Note - if you are having trouble installing the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5, I recommend trying to installing the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 because it will install the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 behind the scenes, and these versions contain additional fixes not in the original 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 releases.  Plus, 3.5 SP1 will automatically uninstall any older versions of 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 that are on your system, so you can save some time by not trying to install a version of the .NET Framework that 3.5 SP1 is going to uninstall during its install process.
  7. (optional) Download and run the .NET Framework verification tool to double-check that the version of the .NET Framework that you installed in step 2 installed correctly
  8. Download and install any service packs or hotfixes for the version of the .NET Framework you just installed by running the setup package directly instead of using Windows Update.  Running it directly will allow the service pack or hotfix to display error dialogs (whereas, Windows Update will automatically suppress any error dialogs).  Here are some download links for various .NET Framework service packs:.NET Framework 1.0 SP3 .NET Framework 1.1 SP1
    .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 family update; there are several versions depending on what OS you are running - Windows XP and Server 2003 x86, Windows XP and Server 2003 x64, Windows Vista and Server 2008 x86, Windows Vista and Server 2008 x64Note - the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and SP2 and 3.0 SP1 and SP2 are slipstream replacements for the original versions of 2.0 and 3.0, and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is a slipstream replacement for the original version of 3.5.  You do not need to install 2.0 then SP1 and SP2, 3.0 then SP1 and SP2, or 3.5 then SP1 as separate steps like you do for 1.0 and 1.1.  Instead you can skip directly to installing 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1.

.NET Framework setup log file locations

If none of the above help, then it can be useful to look at the .NET Framework setup log files for more in-depth troubleshooting.  Here are links to information about the log files created by each version of the .NET Framework:

The .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 are not listed above because they do not create log files automatically.  You need to use steps like the ones listed in this blog post in order to create log files for .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 setup.

.NET Framework setup packaging notes that affect uninstalls

The .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 are all side-by-side versions that can be installed and uninstalled without affecting the others.  This means that if you are running into an issue in the .NET Framework 2.0, for example, you do not necessarily need to remove the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 in addition to removing 2.0.

The .NET Framework 3.0 is an add-on that requires the .NET Framework 2.0 to be present as a prerequisite.  If you have the .NET Framework 3.0 installed, you will not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 until you first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.0.

The .NET Framework 3.5 is an add-on that requires the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 to be present as prerequisites.  If you have the .NET Framework 3.5 installed, you will not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 or 2.0 SP1 until you first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5.  You will also not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 until you first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5 and the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.

The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is an add-on that requires the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and the .NET Framework 3.0 SP2 to be present as prerequisites.  If you have the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed, you will not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 3.0 SP2 or 2.0 SP2 until you first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.  You will also not be allowed to uninstall the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 until you first uninstall the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and the .NET Framework 3.0 SP2.

<update date="4/22/2008"> Added information and a link to the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Registration Correction Tool, which should be used before resorting to trying the cleanup tool for .NET Framework 2.0 issues. </update>

<update date="9/21/2008"> Added a link to download the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 now that it has shipped. </update>

<update date="9/23/2008"> Updated the link to the .NET Framework 2.0 Registration Correction Tool to point to the official knowledge base article now that it has been published. </update>

<update date="1/25/2009"> Added a link to the standalone .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 installer. </update>

<update date="2/25/2009"> Added links to the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 family update installers. </update>

<update date="3/23/2009"> Fixed broken link to the .NET Framework cleanup tool. </update>

<update date="3/28/2009"> Fixed broken link to the .NET Framework setup verification tool. </update>

<update date="12/2/2010"> Added download link for .NET Framework 4. </update>

<update date="9/8/2012"> Added download link for .NET Framework 4.5 and fixed broken links to other versions of the .NET Framework. </update>

<update date="1/24/2013"> Added a link to the .NET Framework Repair Tool. <update>

<update date="7/23/2015"> Added download link for .NET Framework 4.6. </update>

<update date="12/18/2015"> Added download link for .NET Framework 4.6.1. </update>