Run once

[Admiral208]

I need to run a particular piece of software on all the machines in the school. how do i set it up to run once on every machine when a user logs on, and then never again??

 

thanks

 

James

[StewartKnight]

running a script on the machine could do it, deployed by AD or added to the start menu locally.

[Admiral208]

ok, thanks. its not a program, its an .exe file full of updates, IE7, the most recent .NET framework etc. so i cant use the start menu option. i have never used or written a script before, can anyone recommend where i can find a template to do this? or where do i need to look in AD?

[powdarrmonkey]

You should have said, and I'd have told you to use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Home

[Admiral208]

thanks powdarrmonkey, that would do the job but its not just microsoft updates, there are a few updates for programs that the local council provide as well. I got given it on a cd, copied the whole thing to a folder on the shared drive and need to run the 'runme.exe' file when a user logs on.

[Michael]

I agree in a domain environment, WSUS would be more appropriate. However, if you're referring to the update pack I created I recommend you follow this method:

 

Open the .exe using an application like WinRAR and extract to a share \\servername\UPDATES

 

Locate a file called Install Hotfixes.bat and create a shortcut. Copy this shortcut to wherever you need it and run it (either using a script or manually).

 

Please note this will create a lot of traffic, so perform the update during lunch time or at the end of the day otherwise it will cause disruption to users and the network itself.

[noah]

Write a Batch file and put it in the startup scripts in a active group policy.

 

Echo off

REM Checks to see if the file exists on local machine before loading exe

IF EXIST "C:\Program files\Example\runme.exe" GOTO END

 

REM Full UNC Path of where to launch the software from.

CALL \\serverwhere\software\is\loaded\runme.exe

 

:END

 

Good place to put it is in the startup scripts, although need to ensure that it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to install else it could time out as IIRC the defualt max time for a startup script is 10 min.

 

Other options would be to use PSEXEC of insert an MSI into a group policy or use WSUS.

[GlennT]

Hi James,

Is this the SWO/SCC Summer Updates CD?

If so, you don't need to use the RunMe. [it forces a reboot between each install and is a total pain in the arse!]

As each app has it's own folder, you can just create a quick script to point to the installers and use the command line switches i.e.

 

::================= SummerUpdates.bat ================

::

:: Save this as SummerUpdates.bat

::

::=================================================

@echo off

P:\SummerUpdates\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU /quiet /norestart

 

Sorry, can't remember all the apps so not sure of switches etc but you should be able to google it.

Does that help?

Cheers,

Glenn.

[Admiral208]

you got it glenn, restarting between everyone is very annoying.

 

ill give it a try

 

cheers