Versioned reference for /norestart in .NET 10 SDK Windows x64 installers

The closest primary Microsoft contract for both .NET 10 SDK installers is the current “.NET installer” → “Command-line options” section: /norestart “suppresses any attempts to restart,” while the same section permits exit code 3010 to report that a restart is required.^1^

Applicability to 10.0.114 and 10.0.403

The page is product-line documentation rather than an installer-build specification:

• Its supported-version table explicitly includes .NET 10.
• Its .NET installer section covers Windows installer executables for SDKs and runtimes and instructs readers to select a version such as 10.0.
• Under Command-line options, it defines:
  • /install — installs .NET.
  • /quiet — prevents UI and prompts.
  • /norestart — “Suppresses any attempts to restart.”
• It separately states:
  • 0 means success.
  • 3010 means a restart is required.^1^

Microsoft’s .NET release record identifies 10.0.114 and 10.0.403 as .NET 10 SDKs in the October 2026 update.^2^

Consequently, the Learn page is the closest current primary documentation applicable at the .NET 10 installer product-line level. It does not explicitly enumerate 10.0.114 or 10.0.403 beside /norestart, so it should not be represented as a build-specific guarantee.

An immutable snapshot of the underlying windows.md documentation containing both the /norestart example and the 0/3010 text is available at commit 951c3a5bdf253157f9b403e1f490bc42f5171fbc:

• Fixed-revision windows.md content

That snapshot preserves the documentation wording; it does not convert the product-line guidance into an installer-build-specific contract.

Restart and exit-code semantics

The documented interpretation is:

1. /norestart suppresses restart attempts initiated by the .NET installer.
2. It does not mean that no restart can remain necessary.
3. If installation succeeds but requires a later restart, the installer can return 3010.^1^

Therefore, these results are compatible:

/norestart + exit 0     = success; no restart reported as required
/norestart + exit 3010  = success; restart required but not initiated

Windows Installer independently uses the same distinction: /norestart is the “Never restart” option and maps to REBOOT=ReallySuppress.^3^ Windows Installer defines 3010 as successful installation with a restart required and distinguishes it from 1641, where the installer initiated the restart.^4^

Those MSI references corroborate the semantics only. They do not prove that either specific .NET SDK EXE implements every path through MSI or propagates REBOOT=ReallySuppress identically.

Chained-package scope

The public .NET wording—“suppresses any attempts to restart”—supports suppression at the top-level .NET installer boundary. However, the available primary documentation does not explicitly specify, for SDK 10.0.114 or 10.0.403:

• which packages are chained by each EXE;
• how /norestart is propagated to every possible chained package;
• whether every child-installer restart path is intercepted; or
• a build-specific guarantee covering chain behavior.

Accordingly, the supported public conclusion is that the .NET installer should not initiate a restart when invoked with /norestart, and it may still return 3010. A stronger statement guaranteeing suppression by every chained package in those exact builds is not established by the public documentation identified here.

For authoritative confirmation of that unresolved build-specific chain behavior, open a product issue with the Microsoft-maintained dotnet/installer project, including the two exact SDK versions and architecture, or request a binding determination through Microsoft Support. Only the product team or Support can confirm contractual behavior for those exact binaries beyond the published product-line documentation.

If later executing a system-wide installation, run the installer from an elevated process and preserve the full exit code:

$process = Start-Process `
  -FilePath '.\dotnet-sdk-10.0.403-win-x64.exe' `
  -ArgumentList '/install', '/quiet', '/norestart' `
  -Wait -PassThru

if ($process.ExitCode -eq 3010) {
    'Installation succeeded; schedule a restart.'
} elseif ($process.ExitCode -ne 0) {
    throw "Installation failed with exit code $($process.ExitCode)."
}

References

1. Install .NET on Windows - .NET | Microsoft Learn
2. .NET 10.0 October 2026 Update - .NET 10.0.14 and SDKs 10.0.114 ... - GitHub
3. Microsoft Standard Installer command-line options - Win32 apps
4. MsiExec.exe and InstMsi.exe error messages (for developers)