Uninstalling Applications across enterprise?

[Gerry Hickman]

Hi,

Has anyone tried doing remote uninstalls of applications?

I was looking at some of my own installs, and it seems a bit complicated:

1. Actual "image" on the app server (EXEs, DLLs, Configs etc)
2. Local machine HKLM settings
3. HKCU in roaming profile
4. Local machine shortcuts
5. Shortcuts in roaming profiles (both start menu and desktop)
6. Mix of InstallShield, MSI and others
7. Probably some other stuff I haven't even thought of!

One of the issues that I thought of straight away is that if I uninstall
a "server based" application from Workstation #1, it will zap the
"image" from the app server at that point, so no point trying to run the
official uninstaller from Workstation #2 because the "Program Files"
have already been deleted!

 

[Dusko Savatovic]

I'm not quite sure I follow.

For large organizations, you would use Active Directory domain and group
policy.

You could:
a) assign apps to computers. This means that anybody who sits at this
computer, gets the app.
b) assign app to users. This means that on whichever computer user logs in,
he/she would get the app.
c) publish to user. This means that user can install app either from Control
Panel or by clicking on file with registered extension.

When you no longer need the app, you would uninstall it using group policy
again.

The best results would be achieved using Windows Installer (msi files).
There are plenty of tools for packaging and distributing apps. Check
InstallShield and WinInstall.

You may also wish to check capabilities of Systems Management Server (and
possibly Microsoft Operations Manager).

Dusko Savatovic

 

[Gerry Hickman]

Hi Dusko,

I'm not quite sure I follow.

Sorry for not explaining very well.

For large organizations, you would use Active Directory domain and group
policy.

Yes, but not all software comes packaged as MSI. I have for example
SPSSv11 (statistical analysis software) and I need to uninstall the old
version across all machines and then roll out the new version.

Most of the application files are on a file server, but each client
machine has HKLM and each user has HKCU and a wadge of files in their
user profile. There are then shortcuts both on the local machine and
also in the user's profile (start menu stuff).

The goal is to do a clean uninstall across all machines. The installer
technology it uses is the old InstallShield one.

 

[Dusko Savatovic]

Well,

MSI technology was introduced with Windows 2000 in (at least) 1999.
Actually, even before that year.
It was and still is a key technology for rolling out applications.

If the original application is not packaged with a tool that produces MSI,
there are various third party tools that can repackage old apps. There is a
free one called WinInstall LE available at:
http://www.ondemandsoftware.com/freele.asp

There are other commercial products like WinInstall 8.5 from the same
manufacturer as above and InstallShield, which is also considered a leader
in the app packaging field.

You may also consider Symantec Ghost 8 Corporate edition which includes some
software distribution tools. You may check its features at:
http://sea.symantec.com/content/product.cfm?productid=9

If none of these solutions work for you, I'm afraid you'll have to design
your own. You'll probably have to write some custom scripts.

Dusko Savatovic

 

[Gerry Hickman]

If the original application is not packaged with a tool that produces MSI,
there are various third party tools that can repackage old apps.

Yes, but not once they're all installed!

If none of these solutions work for you, I'm afraid you'll have to design
your own. You'll probably have to write some custom scripts.

Yup, that looks like the best option.