Forum Discussion
Why is Add-WindowsCapability so slow for RSAT?
We install RSAT for our technicians by using:
Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online | Add-WindowsCapability -Online
The download/install is incredibly slow, averaging about ~15 minutes per RSAT tool. There's a total of 21 RSAT tools to install so do the math.
- No network/traffic blocks. This works just as slow on an open home internet network.
- No difference between a one-liner approach or foreach logic
- WUServer is 0 in HKLM path of the registry
- CBS.log shows about ~10 minutes of Download Progress 49/100 (always at the 49/100 mark)
- DISM.log doesn't show anything useful
Quick googling shows a lot of other people experience slowness. If we can't rely on Windows Update CDN, what's the alternative?
Separately downloading, extracting, and storing the content on a network share is cumbersome for each time a new build/FU comes out.
I downloaded and mounted the Language and Optional Features iso, and ran Add-WindowsCapability with the -LimitAccess and -Source parameters. It was slow as hell until I rebooted. I can't believe they still haven't fixed installing them over the Internet.
As of 2-25-25 still an issue.
I downloaded the extra ISO and then ran
Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online -Source "D:\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" | Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Source "D:\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -LimitAccess
Worked much faster this way.
When I did the download and install using that, I didn't add the -LimitAccess switch. Installed at an acceptable pace for me. You would thiink it would of been the other way around.
Used one of these lines, don't remember which.
Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online -Source "E:\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" | Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Source "E:\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-WindowsCapability -Name WMIC* -Online -Source "E:\Software\MicrosoftWindows11\SW_DVD9_WIN_11_24H2_X64_MULTILANG_LANGPACKALL_LIP_LOF_X23-69888\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" | Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Source "E:\Software\MicrosoftWindows11\SW_DVD9_WIN_11_24H2_X64_MULTILANG_LANGPACKALL_LIP_LOF_X23-69888\LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Today is january 17th, almost a year later and the situation is exactly he same. This is pretty crazy! Is this a way to force us to start using the extremely inferior Windows admin center? Because that tool is not nearly ready to be the sole tool to use for an admin.
Anything new on this topic? Still extremely slow to install throught Optional Features.....
Glad to see Microsoft gives zero ****s
Feels like it is time to bump this up, as it is still hardly annoying to wait hours until the RSAT Tools are installed...
Two options to speed the install.
1 - Download the Language and Optional Features iso and install from that. Then at least you don't have to wait for the slow download times for each individual tool.
2 - Someone suggested to just install the Windows 10 RSAT msi installler.
Thanks for the hint and the Windows 10 RSAT Tools seems to work, but it would be nice to always fetch the "newest" stuff, when building golden images for AVD etc. So yeah, workaround might work (not tested if something else stops working) but please MS, fixe this :)
jespinoza_vt Just installed Windows 11 24H2 and it wiped out all f the RSAT tools. Have to download them again. BUMMER!!!! Hope maybe they go faster this time.
- Same here. Nice and quick with Windows 10. Windows 11 takes HOURS.
- Same issue here, taking an eternity to down 300k.
Dear Microsoft, we'd like to get to work now. Any updates on this its very frustrating. Is there an offline install as an option?
- Adding my frustration to the mix. We have the exact same problem, RSAT installation is horribly slow. This issue was not present on Windows 10.
