issues w/ GPO install of SP2 (not applying)

[Guest]

This is a 2000/AD w/ XP client environment.

First off, I deployed SP1 a year ago w/ GPO and it went off w/o a hitch. So
this is very frustrating.

I have followed the directions located here

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/gpdepsp2.mspx

One 'strange' point in the directions is located under 'To create a
distribution point'

".


Run the administrative installation to copy the files to the distribution
point. To do this, open a command prompt, and then run the following command:

\msiexec /a \\ServerName\SharedFolder\Update.msi "

I do not understand why this needs to be done, nor can I seem to get it to
work. if I run it straight from a C: prompt I get an error that the
Installer Package could not be opened. If I try to apply it directly to the
update.msi located in my extract folder I get an 'invalid switch' error.

I have created a security group that I wish to be the only recipients of SP2
and added several workstations (3 newly formatted and added to the domain, 1
is my laptop) to test.

The 3 newly formatted workstations are members of other GPO's and they have
applied correctly, but the SP2 GPO will not even attempt to apply to these 3
workstations. There is nothing located in the Event Viewer of either the
workstation or any of my Domain Controllers.

The same GPO will attempt to apply to my laptop, but fails and I get the
following error in the laptop's Event Viewer

====
Product: Windows XP Service Pack 2 (1033) -- Error 1722. There is a problem
with this Windows Installer package. A program run as part of the setup did
not finish as expected. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.
Action AdminRunSetupMin, location: \\servername\sharename\Update.exe,
command: /q /z /msi
====

This is very frustrating because I've used GPO to deploy Win2k SP's 3 and 4
as well as XP SP1. Also many other softwares.

Help!

Thank you.

 

[george]

Hi Jim,

In the past I have successfully installed SP's this way:

run the SP.exe (downloaded) on the distribution server with the /x command
line option.
This will only extract the SP into the folder of your choice.
Then share the folder for distribution.
Create the GPO for Computer settings and point the GPO to the
\\server\<yourfolder>\update\update.msi
That has always worked for me in the past.
Haven't tried it lately, but it should still work that way, because
basically the only thing you need is an unpacked SP and the update.msi
installer package.

hth

george

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the quick response George.

Unfortunately this is also the exact way I've done SP GPO installs in the
past. When it didn't work on my 3 new test subjects I did a search and found
the link I posted above detailing the need for the msiexec /a and DFS.

 

[george]

Hi Jim,

Had a quick look at the document (link below) and the info given is at least
wrong on 1 point.
The reference to \\Server\SharedFolder\Update.msi should at least read:
\\Server\SharedFolder\i386\update\Update.msi because there is no such thing
as a update.msi package at the referenced location, so the error you're
getting (Could not open package) is justified.
Or \\Server\SharedFolder\update\Update.msi if you make the i386 the
sharepoint.

george

 

[george]

Hi Jim,

That (previous reply) must have been the trouble.
Quickly set this up on virtual machines (1 W2K-DC and 1 (virgin) XPPRO.
Here's what I did.
Unpacked the SP.
Ran the msiexec /a with the correct unc reference. (Still not too sure why
it's needed, but hey, who am I to say you don't )
For good measure moved the XPPRO computer account into a seperate OU in AD.
Created the GPO and pointed to the correct msi.
Gave the group Domain Computers (XPPRO is part of that) read permission to
the GPO (possibly superfluous, but couldn't hurt!)
Ran secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy to be sure the change was ready to
go.
Rebooted the XPPRO and SP2 went in like butter!!!

hth

george