Fix: RSAT Tools Installation Error 0x800f0954 on Windows

In this post, we will look at how to resolve RSAT Tools Installation Error 0x800f0954. The error 0x800f0954 appears while installing .NET Framework 3.5 or an optional feature on Windows computers.

The RSAT error 0x800f0954 appears on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices while using the DISM command-line tool to install additional features.

In my previous post I showed the steps to install RSAT tools on Windows 10. I covered two methods to install RSAT tools, a GUI based and another is using DISM.

On one of my Windows 10 VM, I encountered add-windowscapability failed error code = 0x800f0954. Let’s find out the reasons why you encounter error 0x800f0954 during RSAT tools installation and solution to this error.

Why do you get Error Code 0x800f0954?

There are many reasons why you could encounter error 0x800f0954 during RSAT usage.

• Unable to access Windows Update server: If a domain joined computer cannot access Windows Update server in the network, the RSAT installation terminates with 0x800f0954 error. In this case, you can resolve the issue by bypassing the WSUS.
• Install .NET Framework using PowerShell: If you’re trying to install an older .NET Framework package, trying doing it from a PowerShell window to avoid the 0x800f0954 error.
• Group policy preventing the feature installation: When you are trying to install a RSAT feature using DISM tool, a GPO could be the reason for error 0x800f0954. You can resolve the issue by enabling the “Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair” policy.

RSAT Error 0x800f0954

While installing RSAT features using DISM command line tool on my Windows computer, I encountered error 0x800f0954. The feature failed to install with the following error details:

Error 0x800f0954
DISM Failed. No operation was performed.
For more information, review the log file. The DISM Log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log

By default, the WindowsCapability logs are stored in C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log. Reviewing the dism.log, I found multiple errors.

The below information shows the error details logged in dism.log file. Among the errors in dism.log, one prominent error was 0x800f0954. So if you are seeing the same error while installing RSAT tools on Windows computer, head to next section for the solution.

DISM Package Manager: PID=4828 TID=5752 Error in operation: (null) (CBS HRESULT=0x800f0954) - CCbsConUIHandler::Error
DISM DISM Package Manager: PID=4828 TID=6516 Failed finalizing changes. - CDISMPackageManager::Internal_Finalize(hr:0x800f0954)
DISM Package Manager: PID=4828 TID=6516 Failed processing package changes with session options - CDISMPackageManager::ProcessChangesWithOptions(hr:0x800f0954)
DISM Package Manager: PID=4828 TID=6516 Failed to install capability. - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ProcessCmdLine_AddCapability(hr:0x800f0954)
DISM Package Manager: PID=4828 TID=6516 Failed while processing command add-capability. - CPackageManagerCLIHandler::ExecuteCmdLine(hr:0x800f0954)
2DISM Package Manager processed the command line but failed. HRESULT=800F0954

Solution for RSAT Tools Installation Error 0x800f0954

You can resolve the RSAT error 0x800f0954 by enabling the “Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair” policy on your computer.

Fix RSAT Tools Installation Error 0x800f0954

• On your Windows computer, right click Start and click Run.
• Now type gpedit.msc and hit enter.
• In the local group policy editor, navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System.
• On the right pane look for policy named “Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair“.

Right click policy setting and click Enabled. In addition to that, check the box “Download repair content and optional features directly from Windows Updates instead of Windows Server Updates Services (WSUS)“.

Click Apply and OK. Now open the command prompt on your computer and run the command gpupdate so that the latest policy settings are applied to the local machine.

Running the same DISM command now should install the RSAT feature without any errors.