Do not download .cab files from random third-party sites — they may be altered or malicious.
Many older applications and legacy software tools require to run on modern versions of Windows, such as Windows 10 and 11. While Microsoft typically includes this as a "Feature on Demand," users often encounter errors like 0x800f081f when trying to install it through standard Windows Update.
He needed the specific Cabinet (CAB) file—the standalone package that contained the necessary binaries. He didn't need the whole operating system reinstalled; he just needed that one lifeboat of a file.