.NET Framework is a free application that has now been incorporated into the main package of Windows.
Introduced in the late 1990s as a means of standardizing application development across different versions of Windows, it sits at the heart of a host of the most important features of Windows.
Unfortunately, the .NET Framework has been known to cause a lot of bugs/problems for many years.
While it doesn’t usually cause the issues itself, it’s often as a result of poor integrations or the like that they show up.
If you have been recommended to “reinstall” or “repair”.NET, the following tutorial will help you.
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Note – .NET cannot be removed.
Because it’s such an integral part of the Windows ecosystem, it’s actually impossible to “remove” the .NET framework from later versions of the system.
While you are free to update, repair, and manage it, removing it does not work.
As such, if you run into problems, you should make sure that you have the latest version and that it is running properly on your system.
To do this, you need to follow the steps below:
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1. Run the verification tool
The first step is to run Microsoft’s .NET verification tool.
This is free software that basically checks for any issues that might be present with .NET.
You can download it by searching for “.NET Verification Tool” online and clicking the first link (it should be a Microsoft web page).
After downloading the tool, run it.
If you don’t know what version of the .NET Framework you’re running, simply select .NET version 4.
It *should* be the case that the framework should check (it really only checks if the correct files are on the system).
If there is a problem, it will give you an error code that you need to check online… otherwise continue below.
2. Run the .NET Repair Tool
After performing step 1, you may need to “repair” any of the problems that .NET has.
To do this, you must run the .NET Repair Tool.
This is another tool created by Microsoft, and it essentially allows you to clean up any problems that Windows might have with your .NET installation.
Like the verification tool above, you can find it by clicking on your favorite search engine and searching for “.NET repair tool”.
Click on the first Microsoft link – it should present a page with a big orange button.
Once you have clicked on the button, download the application on your system and launch it.
Follow the steps on the screen and reboot your PC once complete.
3.Update.NET
If the above didn’t work, you can try updating the framework.
This basically overrides any of the files that might be problematic anyway, allowing you to clean up any bugs you might have.
To do this, you will need to do the following:
- Search online for “latest .NET download”
- A Microsoft web page should appear
- This page will have two options: “.NET Core” and “.NET Framework”
- Click “Download the .NET Framework Runtime” under the .NET Framework option
- Save the file to your PC
- Open it and run it
- It will tell you if you have the latest version or ask you to continue.
- If you can continue, follow the steps and reboot your system
4. Reinstall .NET under “Windows Features”
Lastly, you may be able to remove the feature from Windows Features.
To do this, you must follow these steps:
- Press “Windows” + “S” keys on your keyboard
- Type “Programs and Features”
- Select the first option (in Windows 10, there may be an option to “Turn Windows features on or off”, which you need to click)
- Click “Turn Windows features on or off” in the left menu
- From the list, identify “.NET 4.7”
- Uncheck the box
- Click OK”
- Reboot your system
- Open the applet again, and this time check the box
- Windows should go through some installation processes
- Once complete, reboot your system again
- Test to see if it worked
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If you are still having problems after following the above, you will need to make sure that any applications running on your system are working properly. This can usually be achieved by reinstalling them.
If you’re out of your league and need specific support, there are several online communities that can help: Reddit, SuperUser, and Microsoft Answers are 3 of the most popular. On top of that, it has paid support, which can be found via Google, locally, or on Fiverr.
If you are still having problems after this, it suggests that you have a deeper issue with your system. Although Windows is not normally affected by .NET directly, it is possible that some third-party software is conflicting with your operating system, causing the errors/problems you are experiencing to appear. The solution in this case is to reinstall any problematic software and make sure there are no other problems on your system (malware/viruses, etc.).
