Instead of selecting "Basic" or "Custom," click on the Download Media tile. Select Your Package: Express Core: Includes just the database engine.
Includes the database engine, Full-Text Search, and Reporting Services. Sql Express Download Offline Installer -
A bootstrapper is a stub. When you run it, it checks your architecture, checks for dependencies (like .NET Framework or Visual C++ Redistributables), and then reaches out to Microsoft’s Content Delivery Network (CDN) to download the actual .cab files (cabinet files) in real-time. Instead of selecting "Basic" or "Custom," click on