HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING Windows 2012 Essentials

I am attempting to install .NET 3.5 Framework on a Windows 2012 Essentials server but am running into the following error: HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING

After checking the CBS logs it seems to me that Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.2.9200.16384 is the offending package. Here is a snippet of the logs:

2014-12-03 15:57:55, Info                  CBS    Failed to resolve execution chain. [HRESULT =     0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-03 15:57:55, Error                 CBS    Failed to process single phase execution. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-03 15:57:55, Info                  CBS    WER: Generating failure report for package:     Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.2.9200.16384, status: 0x80073701, failure     source: Resolve, start state: Installed, target state: Installed, client id: DISM Package Manager     Provider
2014-12-03 15:57:55, Info                  CBS    Not able to query DisableWerReporting flag.      Assuming not set... [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]
2014-12-03 15:57:55, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log to WER report.

EDIT: After reviewing the CBS logs more carefully, the actual error seems to be that the server is trying to install a Spanish version of .NET

2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CSI    0000000b (F) HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING) #623199# from Windows::ServicingAPI::CCSITransaction::ICSITransaction_PinDeployment(Flags = 0, a = Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Deployment-LanguagePack, Version = 6.2.9200.16384, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture = [l:10{5}]"es-ES", VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral, cb = (null), s = (null), rid = [93]"Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Server-OC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~es-ES~6.2.9200.16384.NetFx3", rah = (null), manpath = (null), catpath = (null), ed = 0, disp = 0)[gle=0x80073701]

"Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Server-OC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~es-ES~6.2.9200.16384.NetFx3"

I found a solution to my problem. To elaborate on my edit that I made earlier today, the CBS logs showed that DISM was attempting to install both the english and spanish version of .NET 3.5 framework, below give you a better idea about whats going on.

2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Exec: Resolving component from existing package; passing NULL manifest path to PinDeployment and hoping things haven't been scavenged.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Exec: Resolving Package: Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-Core-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~es-ES~6.2.9200.16384, Update: IIS-UAL, PinDeployment: amd64_microsoft-windows-i..oyment-languagepack_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.16384_es-es_5330c9534689b90c
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Exec: 315 deployments need bulk staging
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CSI    00000009@2014/12/10:13:53:39.542 (F) base\wcp\componentstore\csd_locking.cpp(216): Error STATUS_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING originated in function CCSDirectTransaction::LockComponent expression: (null)
[gle=0x80004005]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210133834.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210094833.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210083832.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210020831.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141209210827.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Not able to add pending.xml.bad to Windows Error Report. [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Not able to add SCM.EVM to Windows Error Report. [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CSI    0000000a (F) STATUS_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING #623313# from CCSDirectTransaction::OperateEnding at index 0 of 1 operations, disposition 2[gle=0xd015000c]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CSI    0000000b (F) HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING) #623199# from Windows::ServicingAPI::CCSITransaction::ICSITransaction_PinDeployment(Flags = 0, a = Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Deployment-LanguagePack, Version = 6.2.9200.16384, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture = [l:10{5}]"es-ES", VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral, cb = (null), s = (null), rid = [93]"Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Server-OC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~es-ES~6.2.9200.16384.NetFx3", rah = (null), manpath = (null), catpath = (null), ed = 0, disp = 0)[gle=0x80073701]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Failed to pin deployment while resolving Update: Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-Server-OC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~es-ES~6.2.9200.16384.NetFx3 from file: (null) [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Failed to bulk stage deployment manifest and pin deployment for package:Microsoft-Windows-ADFS-WebAgents-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.2.9200.16384 [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CSI    0000000c@2014/12/10:13:53:39.558 CSI Transaction @0xd5456110a0 destroyed
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Perf: Resolve chain complete.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Failed to resolve execution chain. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CBS    Failed to process single phase execution. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    WER: Generating failure report for package: Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.2.9200.16384, status: 0x80073701, failure source: Resolve, start state: Installed, target state: Installed, client id: DISM Package Manager Provider
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Not able to query DisableWerReporting flag.  Assuming not set... [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210133834.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210094833.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210083832.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141210020831.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Added C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_20141209210827.log to WER report.
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Not able to add %windir%\winsxs\pending.xml.bad to WER report. [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Restored system sleep block state: 0x80000000
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Exec: Processing complete.  Session: 30413952_2937928284, Package: Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.2.9200.16384 [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Error                 CBS    Failed to perform operation.  [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Session: 30413952_2937928284 finalized. Reboot required: no [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
2014-12-10 08:53:39, Info                  CBS    Failed to FinalizeEx using worker session [HRESULT = 0x80073701]

In the above output you can see that it is erroring out on only the spanish packages. I checked the location where language resources should be stored "C:\Windows*Language* and found that there was a folder for the Spanish language pack, "C:\Windows\es-ES", however the folder was empty. With that information it was pretty clear that a language pack had ether been removed incorrectly or the installation attempted and never finished. Ether way, the easiest solution I came up with was to just re-install the correct language package to include the necessary dependancies for what ever DISM needs.

The steps that fixed my issue was as follows:

1. Download Windows 2012 Language Pack ISO from Microsoft Volume Licensing center.
2. Mount it (double click on windows 8, 8.1, 2012, 2012 R2)

3. Execute the following command to install the required language pack. The command provided will install the Spanish language pack, you should modify it according to your specific instance

   dism /online /add-package /packagepath:E:\langpacks\es-es\lp.cab 
   

   Note: "E" is the drive letter that windows decided to mount the ISO on, your milage may vary.

   Once the language pack is installed your server will reboot.

4. After that has completed successfully you can go through the Add Roles and Features wizard in Server Manager to install .Net Framework 3.5.