Cannot install .NET Framework 3.5 This article describes a scenario in which .NET Framework 3.5 can't be installed due to Windows Updates being disabled (which is required)
Problem
The .NET Framework 3.5 install fails with error code 0x80070422, indicating that the service could not be started.
Solution
General Outline
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Turn On the VM you would like to apply changes from
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Download .NET Framework 3.5 Offline Installer
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Enable Windows Updates
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Install .NET Framework 3.5
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Disable Windows Updates
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Shut down the VM you would like to apply changes from
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Commit Writebacks
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Reboot all systems to ensure the changes propagate to them
Full Procedure
1. Create a VM.
Create (if not already created) and Turn On a ggRock VM with desired Image in local drives mode (This is for compatibility purposes - if the VM were booted in network mode and the network driver were removed during the OS upgrade, the System Image would be rendered un-bootable over the network - not to worry, there are mitigations for this if the issue presents itself, but we need to side-step the issue here while installing OS updates). (See the Virtual Machines Administration Manual for more information). Additionally, please refer to "Controlling a Virtual Machine" for more information on how to control VMs.
NOTE:
If you do not yet have a VM set up on your ggRock server, please follow the steps in "Creating a Virtual Machine" to do so.
2. Enable "Keep Writebacks" in the Settings of the VM.
(See the Machines Administration Manual for more information).
NOTE:
This is a precautionary measure in the event that an update you are installing requires a reboot - without "Keep Writebacks" enabled the changes will be lost on reboot.
3. Turn on the VM.
4. Control the VM.
5. Enable Windows Update
(It is recommended to keep Windows Update disabled during normal operation)
There are multiple methods to achieve this goal - please refer to "Disabling Windows Updates" for further information. If you are using an image downloaded through ggRock, please use the "WUB" method to enable Windows Update.
6. Download .NET Framework 3.5
Download the latest copy of the .NET Framework 3.5 Offline Installer here:
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework/net35-sp1
7. Install .NET Framework 3.5
Double-click the install file for the .NET Framework, walking through the wizard as required to perform the installation.
8. Disable Windows Updates
(It is recommended to keep Windows Update disabled during normal operation)
There are multiple methods to achieve this goal - please refer to "Disabling Windows Updates" for further information. If you are using an image downloaded through ggRock, please use the "WUB" method to disable Windows Update.
9. Shut down the Virtual Machine.
10. Disable "Keep Writebacks" in the Settings of the VM.
(See the Machines Administration Manual for more information).
11. Apply Writebacks.
(See Applying Writebacks for more information).
Enter a comment when prompted (typically initials of the administrator, the date, and the contents (e.g. games, applications updated).
Example:
ABC - 01-12-2021 - Updated Fortnite, COD:MW (launched to install shaders), and Google Chrome.
Additional Information
This article follows the same general procedure outlined in the "Update Windows System Image using Seamless Boot" article, which can be applied to numerous situations that require disabling Windows Updates in order to perform some operation.
The issue is caused by the fact that the Windows Update service is disabled, which is necessary to prevent ballooning writebacks with ggRock Machines caused by numerous Machines downloading updates. Disabling Windows Updates also prevents issues caused by Feature Updates or Driver Updates downloaded through Windows Update.