Re: Installing software or Add Ins on Client PC's

Howdie!

TrickyT wrote:
I now want to add the following to all of the Clients.

2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4d951911-3e7...

Download the EXE, call it with the /extract parameter and extract the files in the package. The EXE file contains an MSI file that you can use to install the package via Group Policy Software Installation (Computer Configuration\Software Installation).

How would I go about installing this EXE (or any future program) to
the Clients without having to be at each PC.

Should I use Group Policy or a logon script?

Depending on what format the software is available, you'd so either Software Installation (MSI files) or the logon script. Software Installation only allows you to install MSI packages ( -- there's an option to install other packages as well but that's not very often used). If you the software comes as an EXE file, you need to call it in a startup script. Logon script won't work as that is run in the user's context (and therefore lacks permission to install software).

If you plan on excessively deploying software, I'd suggest you have a look at third party tools. Not that Software Installation and scripts wouldn't work -- they just lack advanced functionality like uninstall-features and upgrade capability as well as further filtering of target systems (although you could do that with WMI filters in Group Policy, too).

cheers,

Florian
--
Microsoft MVP - Group Policy
eMail: prename [at] frickelsoft [dot] net.
blog: http://www.frickelsoft.net/blog.
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