deploying msi to Vista

[PreviousPoster]

I have a msi that installs a credential provider on Vista. If I install the msi manually, it installs just fine and the credential provider works as intended.

Now, I set up a package deployment from GPMC (on win2k3) to deploy the msi software package along with an adm template to make some necessary registry changes. I've set a WMI filter to target the VISTA machine and that seems to work too. The problem I have is that when the policy deploys, the adm template configures the registry settings, but the msi is not installed. The files are signed, connectivity is good, gpresult shows the policy applied successfully, the group policy log (a nice touch) shows the policy deployed successfully, but still no credential provider. Any suggestions on what may be the problem?

edit - what's really bizarre is that I have another policy that deploys an executable to the workstation, with a template, and that deploys just fine and installs and runs, no sweat.

TIA

Steve

[PreviousPoster]

Hi,

So it seems like your GPSI package og GPO doesn't do the job - there cna be many reasons for this.

First of all, do you have any usefull information/warnings/errors in the event logs of the client machines?

I guess that you are deploying the package to the Computer accounts, are you 100% sure that "Authenticated Users" or "Domain Computers" have read access (both Share permissions and NTFS ACL)?

[PreviousPoster]

Thanks for the reply - I'll check the logs when I get into the office tomorrow and report what I find.

[PreviousPoster]

OK - group policy log shows NotApplied(empty)

VISTA GPMC shows the policy failed because the installation source is not available.

The msi is located in Sysvol on the DC, which is shared, and I can map a drive to the location from the vista machine.

I'm not 100% comfortable with the gpmc results as it also shows that the other software that is stored in the same location is denied for "empty" - yet this policy and the application exists on the box.

[PreviousPoster]

not to sound snarky or anything - but geeze! Is this like a big, empty place with nobody about? :roll: We finally figured out the problem (sort of). The Vista Machine did not think it was part of the domain, and so the credential provider dll just sat there waiting for a response from the domain. It was kinda bizarre as the package got deployed and all the settings were in place, but there was that thing about not thinking it was part of the domain.

Interestingly, the problem was resolved by applying sp1 for Vista. Now I guess this makes me the expert in GPO deployment in Vista machines ;-) :shock: