Group Policy - Software installation

[hons]

I used the W2k3 group policy method to install a application upgrade on my network's computers. I have two questions:

1) How can I found out if the computer had get the upgrade installed without physically go to the machine to check????

2) After I used the group policy, I found out that many user say they didn't get their network drives after they logon to the network. This didn't happen before the group policy applied.

Thanks in advance for everybody's help.

[annakin108]

The first thing about GPO and software install is there isn't a auditing feature... so no you cannot "that I know of" track a successful install.

I\we were faced with this issue before we were privy to SMS and what we did was use some scripts batch or vb and PSEXEC wich is part of pstools used to be owned by Sysenternals... now owned by MS.

As for the drive mappings missing... I would start with running the RSOP util and GPresults... also check the event logs on the workstations...

good luck.

oh ya... we were told by our MS people that software distor via gpo is not the best solution. hence not being able to verify a successful install....

[hons]

Is there any application out there can do the work???

What I need is to deploy the application remotely and I will be able to keep track if the user or computer did install the app.

Anyone can help???

Thanks.

[fdv]

You can look into IntelliAdmin. It might help.

I have used it, it's a small remote control application. (Yes, there are free alternatives, I know. I needed something that even installed remotely... and this actually does. Pretty cool, eh?

To verify a software update, there is also attaching to a remote registry and looking to see if the new programs' key values are in place.

[hons]

Hi,

Is there anyboy can help???

I still have many users didn't get their network drivers!!!!

I'm using the login script to map the drives for the users. Is there any way I can force the .bat file to run when the user logn????

Thanks.

[annakin108]

i may be able to help you.. but I am going to need more information...

you say the .bat you are using a dos batch file to map drives?

what OS are the workstations?

what level is your domain?

did you try any of my previous suggestions?