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dotnet Framework 2 on M1 Macs with Parallels

N9JIG

N9JIG

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 25, 2019
215
107
SW USA
I have a couple different Windows applications that work fine in Parallels on my Intel Macs (2018 Mini, 2019 MBP, 2015 MBA) that require dotnet Framework 2.x to operate. One is our company IP phone system and the other is a radio programming application.

On my newM1 Mac Mini with Parallels 16 and the ARM version of Windows 10 I tried to download and install the dotnet Framework and it reported an error code of 0x800F0950 and would not install, thus dooming the installation of these two applications. Other programs that do not require dotnet work just fine.

Has anyone found a way to get dotnet Framework 2 to work on an M1 in Parallels?
 
You might be out of luck there. .Net 2 has been out of official support for nearly a decade and won't have had any testing whatsoever on Arm. There may be a way to get it going, but I'm just trying to set expectations.

It might be worth asking your IT department whether there's any sort of test release available that supports .Net 4 or later, as these will work under the current framework, which I believe does work on Arm.
 
These are commercial products that do not seem to have any plans to update, so I suppose that NUC is going to have to sit next to my Mac if/when I upgrade to an M1. For now I will stick with my Intel MBP and Mini.

Thanks!
 
N9JIG said:
I have a couple different Windows applications that work fine in Parallels on my Intel Macs (2018 Mini, 2019 MBP, 2015 MBA) that require dotnet Framework 2.x to operate. One is our company IP phone system and the other is a radio programming application.

On my newM1 Mac Mini with Parallels 16 and the ARM version of Windows 10 I tried to download and install the dotnet Framework and it reported an error code of 0x800F0950 and would not install, thus dooming the installation of these two applications. Other programs that do not require dotnet work just fine.

Has anyone found a way to get dotnet Framework 2 to work on an M1 in Parallels?
Click to expand...
Hello,

The easiest way I've found, and I don't have my M1 with me, is to install .NET 3.5, that has the backwards compatibility you need. If you go into settings/apps/Optional features/More optional features, you can checkmark .net 3.5 and install it that way. I wont be able to check if it's the same on my Mac until I get home.
 
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N9JIG said:
These are commercial products that do not seem to have any plans to update
Click to expand...
Oh, sorry, I'd misinterpreted that. .Net is often used for business-internal apps so I figured that your company would have the source code. Sorry for the confusion.
 
Nermal said:
Oh, sorry, I'd misinterpreted that. .Net is often used for business-internal apps so I figured that your company would have the source code. Sorry for the confusion.
Click to expand...
No worries!

I am going to try the solution offered above when the wife lets me get on her computer.
 
bobcomer said:
Hello,

The easiest way I've found, and I don't have my M1 with me, is to install .NET 3.5, that has the backwards compatibility you need. If you go into settings/apps/Optional features/More optional features, you can checkmark .net 3.5 and install it that way. I wont be able to check if it's the same on my Mac until I get home.
Click to expand...
I just checked it on my M1, that's the steps. I have an app that needs .net 2.0 too and it works...
 
bobcomer said:
Hello,

The easiest way I've found, and I don't have my M1 with me, is to install .NET 3.5, that has the backwards compatibility you need. If you go into settings/apps/Optional features/More optional features, you can checkmark .net 3.5 and install it that way. I wont be able to check if it's the same on my Mac until I get home.
Click to expand...
Well, I tried that and I get the same error code.

Were you able to install dotnet on yours?

Edit, I posted at the same time you did. I don't know why it failed for me and not you.
 
N9JIG said:
Were you able to install dotnet on yours?
Click to expand...
Yes, with no problem.

N9JIG said:
Well, I tried that and I get the same error code.
Click to expand...
Bummer!

With that error it could be a lot of things. The first to check is does it need any updates in Windows update.

This web post seems to cover everything I would try:

appuals.com

How to Fix Error 0x800F0950 .NET Framework 3.5 Installation

When trying to install .NET Framework 3.5, error code 0x800F0950 indicates that the installation failed, halting the setup process abruptly. This usually
appuals.com appuals.com
 
I went to Windows Update and the only updates available were for malware and virus definitions, I did those and checked again for updates and it reported it was all up to date.

I then tried to install again and got the same error message.

The version of Windows is reported as 21534, 210402-1630, and is the version MS provided when I joined the Windows Insider developer program (Parallels does not provide a version of Windows for ARM like it does for Intel systems).

Not sure where to go from here. If I can get this to work I can switch to Apple Silicon for all my needs and ditch the Windows machines.

I really appreciate the help!
 
Just a little heads-up here, don't get rid of your intel machines yet, even if this works. Until Microsoft actually allows us to license and purchase Windows on Arm as individuals, we're at the mercy of the Insider program and it's many builds and the threat of not being able to use it at all. At the moment it's at best described as a kludge to run a beta Windows product and there's no guarantee it'll work for everything you need.
 
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SUCCESS!

While I had tried to run Windows Updates over the last week or so I finally had one appear today. There was also a Cumulative Update for .NET 3.5 (from what I understand includes the 2.x version). After running both updates and 2 restarts my radio program that requires dotnet installed and ran just fine.

I was also able to install and run our company's phone system software which also uses .Net (dotnet) Framework 2.

So for me an Apple Silicon Mac is a feasible thing. While I am more than happy with my current 2018 Mini and 2019 MBP (Both Intel) if & when I need to replace either I will be OK.
 
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N9JIG said:
SUCCESS!

While I had tried to run Windows Updates over the last week or so I finally had one appear today. There was also a Cumulative Update for .NET 3.5 (from what I understand includes the 2.x version). After running both updates and 2 restarts my radio program that requires dotnet installed and ran just fine.

I was also able to install and run our company's phone system software which also uses .Net (dotnet) Framework 2.

So for me an Apple Silicon Mac is a feasible thing. While I am more than happy with my current 2018 Mini and 2019 MBP (Both Intel) if & when I need to replace either I will be OK.
Click to expand...
If you are using your Mac for your day job and need to run Windows apps, I would follow bobcomer's advice and either stick to Intel Macs or just buy a Windows machine.
 
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