System Requirements for Version 3.5
To ensure adequate performance, the .NET Framework version 3.5 has the following minimum and recommended system requirements for client and server applications.
Note
For the most up-to-date information on system requirements and supported platforms, see the Readme.htm file for the .NET Framework. If you have installed the .NET Framework as part of Visual Studio 2008, the Readme.htm file is located in the Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\SDK\v3.5 subdirectory.
Supported Operating Systems
The .NET Framework can be installed on the following platforms and operating systems. For information about the .NET Compact Framework support for mobile platforms, see Devices and Platforms Supported by the .NET Compact Framework.
Scenario |
Target platforms |
|---|---|
32-bit based systems |
Windows XP Professional with SP2 Windows XP Home Edition with SP2 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002 with SP2 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 with SP2 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Windows XP Professional Reduced Media Edition with SP2 Windows XP Home Reduced Media Edition with SP2 Windows XP Tablet PC Edition with SP2 Windows XP Starter Edition Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition with SP1 Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with SP1 Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with SP1 Windows Server 2003 Web Edition with SP1 Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition with SP1 Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition with SP1 Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition Windows Vista Starter Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Business Windows Server 2008 Standard 32-Bit Windows Server 2008 Enterprise 32-Bit Windows Server 2008 Datacenter 32-Bit Windows 7 (all 32-bit editions) Windows 8 |
x64-bit based systems |
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition Windows Vista Home Premium x64 Edition Windows Vista Ultimate x64 Edition Windows Vista Business x64 Edition Windows Server 2008 Standard x64 Edition Windows Server 2008 Enterprise x64 Edition Windows Server 2008 Datacenter x64 Edition Windows 7 (all 64-bit editions) Windows 8 Note The .NET Framework supports both WOW64 (32-bit processing on a 64-bit machine) as well as native 64-bit processing. |
Itanium-based systems |
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise for Itanium-based Systems |
.NET Compact Framework |
Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Windows Mobile for Smartphone Windows CE Note For information about the .NET Compact Framework support for mobile platforms, see Devices and Platforms Supported by the .NET Compact Framework. |
Unsupported Operating Systems
The .NET Framework cannot be installed on the following operating systems.
Scenario |
Operating system |
|---|---|
All platforms |
Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Millennium Edition Windows NT Server Windows NT Workstation Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition Windows 2000 Professional Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 Advanced Server Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-based Systems |
Minimum Software and Hardware Requirements
Minimum Software
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with Service Pack 1.
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 for data access applications.
Windows Installer version 3.1.
Processors
Scenario |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|---|---|---|
.NET Framework |
400 megahertz (MHz) |
1 gigahertz (GHz) |
RAM
Scenario |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|---|---|---|
.NET Framework |
96 megabytes (MB) |
256 megabytes (MB) |
Hard Disk Space
Scenario |
Minimum |
|---|---|
32-bit |
280 MB |
64-bit |
610 MB |
Product Installation Notes
It is highly recommended for all platforms that you upgrade to the latest Windows Service Pack and critical updates available from http://www.windowsupdate.com to ensure the best compatibility and security. Installation of the latest Windows Service Pack may be required on some operating systems.
See Also
Concepts
System Requirements for Versions 1.0 and 1.1
Other Resources
.NET Framework System Requirements
Overview of the .NET Framework
Change History
Date |
History |
Reason |
|---|---|---|
December 2010 |
Corrected the version of Windows Installer required for the .NET Framework 3.5. |
Content bug fix. |
July 2010 |
Noted that installation of the latest service pack may be required on some operating systems. |
Customer feedback. |