Legacy Update: Get back online, activate, and install updates on your legacy Windows PC

Microsoft has provided a version of the .NET Framework v3.0 for the general public.

• The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly known as WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, and the ability to support a wide range of business processes. These new technologies are Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, and Windows CardSpace (formerly code named "Infocard"). Microsoft plans to ship .NET Framework 3.0 as part of the Windows Vista operating system. In addition, Microsoft is making these technologies available on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The following Community Technology Preview of .NET Framework 3.0 enables you to continue experimenting with early builds of these technologies, get acquainted with the development experience, and provide feedback to Microsoft. For more information on these technologies, click here.
  
  Please note that the License Agreement in this pre-release version of the .NET Framework v3.0 does not allow usage in a live operating environment. Information about Go-Live possibilities can be found here.
  
  Note: This is a pre-RTM release. Therefore, do not install these builds on machines you depend on. If you have a previous version of Avalon ("Windows Presentation Foundation"), Indigo ("Windows Communication Foundation"), or pre-released versions of .NET Framework 2.0 installed you must read this before download.
  
  Installation
  To start the installation process, you will need to run the download file; this will initiate the installation of the .NET Framework 3.0 Release Candidate; If you have troubles with the download manager, you can download the entire packagefor x86 or for x64 which are both .EXE files.
  
  This release supports Visual Studio 2005 RTM and is compatible with 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 Technical Refresh.  The Microsoft® Windows® SDK contains documentation, samples, and tools designed to help you develop managed applications and libraries using .NET Framework. You can install the SDK that corresponds to this release here.
  
  

Files

Status: Live This download is still available on microsoft.com. The downloads below will come directly from the Microsoft Download Center.

File	Size
dotnetfx3setup.exe SHA1: f46960b19ef6f4ba1a0a8b649f7014105473391f	2.72 MB

File sizes and hashes are retrieved from the Wayback Machine’s indexes. They may not match the latest versions of files hosted on Microsoft servers.

• 
  
  • Supported Visual Studio tool set: RTM release of Visual Studio 2005
  and Visual Studio Express
  
  The supported dev tools for this release candidate is the Windows SDK Release Candidate, Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio "Orcas" - Development Tools for .NET Framework 3.0, and the WorkFlow extensions (see links in Related Resources).

• Installation
  To start the installation process, you will need to run the download file; this will initiate the installation of the .NET Framework 3.0 Release Candidate; If you have troubles with the download manager, you can download the entire packagefor x86 or for x64 which are both .EXE files.