Had the same problem with .NET framework 4.5.1 update; after trying all suggested solutions (use the System Readiness Tool, use the .NET repair tool, use the .NET Cleanup / uninstall tool) without success, the problem turned out to be that the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\NetFramework directory didn't have the right permissions to be able to be written to BY THE INSTALLER WHICH CREATED IT. An idiotic error, to be sure. I simply created the directory myself and set the permissions on all C:\ProgramData directories to "SYSTEM: Full Control", "Administrators: Full Control" and "CREATOR OWNER: Full Control." The next time I tried the update it worked perfectly.
madankg :
i need some help with this.