Windows Server 2008 and Data Execution Prevention

I was trying to install a SQL Server component onto a Windows Server 2008 R2 VM, for self-enablement, but kept hitting blockers, most of which were due to missing dependencies, including the Microsoft .NET Framework.

I finally obtained an up-do-date version of the latter here: -

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 (Offline Installer) for Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2

specifically NDP452-KB2901907-x86-x64-AllOS-ENU.exe.

Having downloaded this, when I attempted to install, Windows kept throwing up exceptions similar to: -

dotNetFx40_Full_x86_x64 setup has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

with detailed traces such as: -

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
  Application Name: NDP452-KB2901907-x86-x64-AllOS-ENU.exe
  Application Version: 4.5.51209.34209
  Application Timestamp: 52bb74a6
  Fault Module Name: StackHash_0a9e
  Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
  Exception Code: c0000008
  Exception Offset: 7695c0ea
  OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.274.10
  Locale ID: 2057
  Additional Information 1: 0a9e
  Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
  Additional Information 3: 0a9e
  Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789

Read our privacy statement online:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
  C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt


Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name: VSSetup
  Problem Signature 01: Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Setup
  Problem Signature 02: 4.0.30319
  Problem Signature 03: 10.0.30319.1
  Problem Signature 04: 1
  Problem Signature 05: unknown
  Problem Signature 06: None_UI_Interactive_Crash
  Problem Signature 07: 0xc0000005
  Problem Signature 08: 0
  Problem Signature 09: unknown
  OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.274.10
  Locale ID: 2057

Read our privacy statement online:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
  C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

From reading, it appeared that Data Execution Prevention (DEP) was getting in the way.

I read various posts online, and finally found this: -

How to turn off Data Execution Prevention (DEP)

which described how to disable DEP at boot-time: -

Once I did this, and rebooted, the .NET Framework installed without problems, which is nice.