I have been using Windows 8 for last few months. When Windows 8 CP released I installed CP & subsequently RP too. When I wanted to install some 3rd party application in my Windows 8 VM, I realized that these applications require .NET Framework 2.0 or 3.0 in few cases. Apparently my virtual machine does not have internet connection. Obviously the first step for us is to check the Program and Features to enable any available additional features in an Operating System. This is what you see in your Control Panel –> Program and Features. Click on Turn Windows features on or off.

Here you can see .NET Framework as a feature and by default the feature is disabled. You can enable this particular right away using this GUI Tool but in order to do that you need to be connected to internet i.e. Online Mode. Other way is using DISM Command and this can be done in an Offline Mode using Windows 8 installation media. Let’s see these 2 methods.

Method 1: When you are Online, connected to Internet.

In order to install the following window click on the .NET Framework 3.5 (included .NET 2.0 and 3.0) select it & click OK

Now, it will download the entire package from the internet & install the .NET Framework feature.

Method 2: When you are Offline and not connected to Internet

If you open CMD.EXE with Administrative Privileges i.e. at elevated level & run the this DISM command dism /online /get-features you will see that from the State that .NET Framework is not part of the Operating System.

So the first thing you need to do is to copy the required package to local machine before you run the command to install .NET Framework. To do that use Windows 8 ISO/DVD/USB Media. You need to copy SXS folder to local machine located at D:\sources\sxs (In this case D: your drive letter on which you have loaded Windows 8 Media)

You can also use the following command to copy this folder locally. xcopy d:\sxs\*.* c:\sxs /s

Once completed, in order to install this feature you can run the following command dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFx3 /All /Source:C:\sxs /LimitAccess  and hit Enter

After completing the installation of .NET Framework 3.5 you can see that the feature is enabled in the Control Panel –> Program and Features

Bingo. Now you can enable .NET Framework feature on Windows 8 without needing of an internet connection.

Enjoy

Update: There was a small typo in the command, I missed including : between source:C:\. I did fix it. Thank you all for your comments & pointing that out :)

Microsoft Windows Essentials 2012 now available (previously known as Windows Live Essentials)

Download Windows Essentials 2012 (Web installer)
Download Windows Essentials 2012 (Offline installer)

The Windows® Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) is a collection of tools that you can use to customize, assess, and deploy Windows operating systems to new computers.

Windows Deployment is for OEMs and IT professionals who customize and automate the large-scale installation of Windows, such as on a factory floor or across an organization. The Windows ADK supports this work with the deployment tools that were previously released as part of the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) and include Windows Preinstallation Environment, Deployment Imaging, Servicing and Management, and Windows System Image Manager.
IT Professionals can use features in the Windows ADK to facilitate deployment of a new version of Windows. The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) inventories applications used in your organization and identifies potential applications compatibility issues. With the User State Migration Tool (USMT), IT Professionals can migrate user data from existing Windows installations. Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables IT professionals to Windows installations in their organization and manage the activation status of their PCs.
Assessments are for OEMs, IHVs, and IT professionals who measure the operational characteristics of a computer, including its performance, reliability, and functionality. Windows assessments are tools that help you make these measurements, diagnose problems, and determine how to make improvements. Windows assessments can help reduce costs by identifying potential issues as you create your hardware and software experiences. By using these tools, you can help ensure that the hardware and software that you develop are responsive and high-quality.

Features available in the Windows ADK include:
• Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT)
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) helps IT Professionals understand potential application compatibility issues by identifying which applications are or are not compatible with the new versions of the Windows operating system. ACT helps to lower costs for application compatibility evaluation by providing an accurate inventory of the applications in your organization. ACT helps you to deploy Windows more quickly by helping to prioritize, test, and detect compatibility issues with your apps. By using ACT, you can become involved in the ACT Community and share your risk assessment with other ACT users. You can also test your web applications and web sites for compatibility with new releases of Internet Explorer. For more information, see Application Compatibility Toolkit.
• Deployment Tools
Deployment tools enable you to customize, manage, and deploy Windows images. Deployment tools can be used to automate Windows deployments, removing the need for user interaction during Windows setup. Tools included with this feature are Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management (DISM) command line tool, DISM PowerShell cmdlets, DISM API, Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM), and OSCDIMG. For more information, see Deployment Tools.
• User State Migration Tool (USMT)
USMT is a scriptable command line tool that IT Professionals can use to migrate user data from a previous Windows installation to a new Windows installation. By using USMT, you can create a customized migration framework that copies the user data you select and excludes any data that does not need to be migrated. Tools included with the feature are ScanState, Loadstate, and USMTUtils command line tools. For more information, see User State Migration Tool.
• Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)
The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the activation of Windows, Windows Server, Windows ThinPC, Windows POSReady 7, select add-on product keys, and Office for computers in their organization. VAMT can manage volume activation using retail keys (or single activation keys), multiple activation keys (MAKs), or Windows Key Management Service (KMS) keys. For more information, see Volume Activation Management Tool.
• Windows Performance Toolkit (WPT)
Windows Performance Toolkit includes tools to record system events and analyze performance data in a graphical user interface. Tools available in this toolkit include Windows Performance Recorder, Windows Performance Analyzer, and Xperf. For more information, see Windows Performance Toolkit.
• Windows Assessment Toolkit
Tools to discover and run assessments on a single computer. Assessments are tasks that simulate user activity and examine the state of the computer. Assessments produce metrics for various aspects of the system, and provide recommendations for making improvements. For more information, see Windows Assessment Toolkit.
• Windows Assessment Services
Tools to remotely manage settings, computers, images, and assessments in a lab environment where Windows Assessment Services is installed. This application can run on any computer with access to the server that is running Windows Assessment Services. For more information, see Windows Assessment Services.
• Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
Minimal operating system designed to prepare a computer for installation and servicing of Windows. For more information, see Windows PE Technical Reference.

You can get more details on the download link…

DOWNLOAD HERE

It’s 15th August 2012 & as per the previous announcement Windows 8 is now available for MSDN & TechNet Subscribers.

For Developers, if you have MSDN Subscription then you can download Windows 8 RTM & Visual Studio 2012 RTM.

For Developers here are some of the resources from Visual Studio & Windows Teams.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsappdev/archive/2012/08/15/windows-8-rtm-is-available-for-developers.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdev/archive/2012/08/15/visual-studio-2012-rtw.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jasonz/archive/2012/08/15/visual-studio-2012-and-net-framework-4-5-released-to-the-web.aspx

For IT Professionals, if you have TechNet Subscription then you can download Windows 8 RTM.

Windows 8 Evaluation for Developers

This is intended for developers building Windows 8 apps and IT professionals interested in trying Windows 8 Enterprise on behalf of their organization.

The Windows 8 Enterprise 90-day evaluation is available to developers to build and test Windows 8 apps on the final version of Windows 8. After installing Windows 8, go to the Windows Dev Center developer downloads page to install Visual Studio 2012 and related tools to build Windows 8 apps.

If you’re not an MSDN subscriber, you can download an evaluation version of Windows 8 RTM from TechNet. Note this version will expire and you cannot upgrade.

For details visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx

Enjoy