[sccm 2012] Occasional failure to install applications during task sequence

[cheredenine]

Hello all! I'm looking for some hints if anyone has come across this. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, a computer running a task sequence will have one or more application fail to install, with the rest working fine. The error given will generally be failed to install, operating system reported error 5: access is denied.

 

Now if it happened all the time I'd believe it was an access issue, but sometimes it works just fine. The issue does seem to predominantly affect Internet Explorer 10 as well, though this might be a red herring and just reflect the fact it's one of the first applications to be installed.

 

Any clues? Task sequence in question installs Windows 7, joins domain, installs drivers, installs SCCM client, boosts cache size to 20gb, and sets about installing applications, some of which are targetted to specific collections through the use of custom variables.

[cheredenine]

Bump!

 

More info - I get failed application installation tasks when deploying task sequences to some computers; all sorts of different errors including access errors and timeouts, etc. I think the reasons given may be red herrings, however, as the same task sequences work fine on other equipment. The difference between the computers that work and don't work? Age! Or more specifically performance which is linked to age... An example would be a Toshiba Satellite Pro C660 with an original hard drive versus one with upgraded with an SSD - the latter appears to install assigned software and settings far more reliably...

 

So, have any of you fine people encountered problems deploying tasks sequences to older clients where the client might be on the slow side, performance-wise? I'm currently struggling with some Dell Optiplex 755s that must be 6 years old and will not complete my task sequence correctly...

[halbaradkenafin]

If it looks like a performance issue then I'd check the properties of the Task Sequence for the Maximum Allowed Run time and either increase it by an hour (or two) or set it to 0 to have no maximum.

[cheredenine]

After many attempts at reimaging and looking at logs, I found the following causes of problems! Firstly the package to install dotNet v4 wasn't set up right and replacing it helped out. Secondly the msi file for Sketchup Make 2015 you can extract from the installation exe doesn't play nice with SCCM - the software needs a reboot to finish, but if you let it reboot it then cancels the task sequence and if you suppress the reboot the task sequence sits there for ages waiting for the software to report back...

 

The main issue for me was the hard drive on the computers in question. What with setting the sccm client cache to 20gb to allow Adobe CS6 to install, along with a load of other software, the computers were running out of space. Task sequence would then fail towards the end and the computer was left with only a few mb of space available.

 

I fixed by removing one of the larger, but not essential, software titles and using a two step process to raise the size of the sccm client cache at the start of the task sequence and then drop it back down at the end.

[ersatyle]

I'm having the same isssue with sketchup make x64 in a task sequence... what did you do at the end for that? did you try the different restart behavior in the user experience tab?

or did you just deployed it outside the TS? thanks!

[cheredenine]

I believe I gave up on installing it through the task sequence and set it to install through other means afterwards. Can't remember if I deployed it using SCCM or Group Policy, though either would work. The install process just wouldn't work with a task sequence as mentioned above, but once removed things went back to normal. Pretty sure this is correct - can't check, however, as no longer employed at that school!

[FragglePete]

Not using sccm, but just wds and had a similar issue with the cs6 installer not always running correctly as part of the task sequence. Fixed it by introducing a 1 minute pause before installing applications. This gave everything a chance to settle down before commencing the installs as the cs6 installer is a fussy git and crashes out if it doesn't like something (like the wind blowing in the wrong direction. )

 

Pete

[free780]

Any clues in the execmgr.log in c:\windows\ccm\logs ?