Alt to GPO MSI installs for Laptops - Startup script?

[contink]

This is probably going to sound like the dumbest, most obvious question ever but my brain is going into a BSOD loop when I try to get my head around this so hopefully folks can help.

I've got a school with over 80 laptops that I've completely started from scratch with. I did a RIS with a base install on, WSUS setup to push out updates and originally I was relying on GPO to push out applications.

I'm still trying to resolve issues with the laptops not pre-logging in to accept the Computer Settings from GPO's which predictably means the laptops don't get the GPO and can't access the server space for the installers. The pre-login side of things is pending but it's occured to me that there's another way to approach this and I'd rather not be forced to keep plugging laptops into a small hub every week for days at a time!

Would it be possible to run a startup script that grabs installers down to the local hard drive and then runs these installers either immediately after or on the next reboot?

I'm guessing I may have to get "cute" with the login scripts and get them to do the downloading based on some form of registry or text file "flags" which indicate what's required and from where... but aside from that I'm wondering if there are any potential issues with handling a silent exe install under the computer system account?


Also, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to know if someone else has already resolved this issue or similar and has some pointers.

I'll post up and resultant scripts and/or tips in the wiki so any suggestions will get due credit and be shared back.

Thanks in advance.

[Michael]

I would definitely recommend using GPOs and not scripts for installing applications. Scripts are more suitable for printers, reg files or very small files (like text files).

It sounds to me your machines are not picking up updated policies (for whatever reason).

You can try the following command:

gpupdate /target:machine

or

gpupdate /target:user

[ricki]

HI

Have a look at the bios and make sure you have the latest version so that it turns the wifi card on at boot and make sure that windows in managing the wifi card and not the wifi cards software as this only starts after the user logs on.

I had to remove the card software and then just loads the driver on its own.

Just an idea.

Richard

[contink]

Just to respond with a bit more info on the problems experienced.

1. The GPO is being picked up BUT it's not being picked up until after the wifi card has connected. (Using a RADIUS WPA auth setup that should be auth'ing the laptop and does seem to)

2. The lack of wifi means that the laptop fails to see the //SERVER location for the actual MSI packages and thus can't install them..


I've done some extensive checking on this and found the event log is showing the path doesn't exist.. Checking the Wifi controller indicates that the comp is auth'ing properly but it just isn't waiting long enough for the network it seems.

Other discussions on other threads seem to indicate it's difficult to resolve...

[SYNACK]

You may want to enable these GP settings if you have not already as these may help it to process them more reliably:

Computer Config > Administrative Templates > System > Group Policy : Wireless Policy Processing -enabled
tick : Allow prosessing across a slow network connection

Computer Config > Administrative Templates > System > Group Policy : Software installation Policy Processing-enabled
tick : Allow prosessing across a slow network connection

You may also want to try activating this which will make the system wait untill the network is fully initialized at boot. This will take a little longer but should make it wait long enough to grab a wireless connection. It will make power ups slow if the user is outside the coverage area and has not switched off the wireless card with the button.

Computer Config > Administrative Templates > System > Logon : Always wait for network at computer startup and logon

This one may or may not apply to the standard network wait with wireless but it might also help.

Computer Config > Administrative Templates > System > netlogon : Expected dial-up delay on logon

[contink]

Cheers for those... I'll give them a shot with a test OU and a couple of spare units..

[PeterH]

As well as those, also check out:

Computer Config \ Admin Templates \ System \ Group Policy \ Startup policy processing wait time

We had an issue just recently with some laptops that weren't applying policies at startup becuase the wireless network wasn't starting quickly enough. After lots of playing around with different policy settings, this is the one that fixed it. We enabled it and set the amount of time to wait to 60 seconds. Now everything seems to work perfectly - it doesn't take anywhere near 60 seconds, but the group policy client will wait up to that amount of time for the network to become available.

Peter

[cookie_monster]

I've also found that sometimes you also need to set 'Always wait for network at computer startup and logon' in the local policy in these situations otherwise it never picks the setting up from GP.

[contink]

As well as those, also check out:

Computer Config \ Admin Templates \ System \ Group Policy \ Startup policy processing wait time

Thanks for the tip but for anyone else looking all over for this.. it's a Vista only GPO setting.. Not available to XP... which is what I'm using...