App Volumes - Adobe Reader Error

[Alth01]

I was wondering if you anyone has ran into an issue with Adobe Reader XI trying to reinstall as from the start menu when configured in an App Stack?

I am seeing the following error in the windows application log.  Also Adobe Reader XI works if I launch it from C:\Program files\Adobe.

[JHT_Seattle]

As this was an app that most everyone requires and that doesn't pose too much of a security threat (plus, the updates to it are fairly scheduled, as opposed to most other Adobe products), we just kept it in the parent image.  Any reason you want to keep it in a stack instead?

[Alth01]

I am only trying to go with this approach for the my VMware View Pools.

Windows Machine:  Windows security patches, required Agents

App Stack 1: All standard applications (Office, Adobe, Java, ...)

App Stack 2: Department applications

The weird thing with the Adobe Reader it will launch correctly from the AcroRd32.exe but tries to reinstall from the start menu.

[JHT_Seattle]

Why take up a layer (when you only have 15-20 to use) and incur the bandwidth + I/O cost trying to push a stack of "standard" apps that are going to end up on every desktop anyways?  Plus, having Office in a separate stack from Windows means you're patching two separate things each month, minimum.  Also, consider this:  say the app stack you need to build has a Java dependency.  If it's not in your parent (or provisioning machine) you'll have to install it in your stack as well.  So now you have two (or more) Java versions to keep up with, two to patch, and two to make sure do not conflict when stacks are layered.  If you have a standard Java version in your base image, it's much easier to plan around (keeps all of your stacks requiring Java smaller and you don't have to set the Java properties in each one to prevent Auto Update, etc).  For any apps that require older Java versions, like we have, I suggest building a ThinApp for the app with the older version of Java and putting the ThinApp into a layer.  Hopefully you don't have too many of those!

[Piear]

Alth01,

Were you able to successfully Appstack Adobe Reader?

I am also designing the Appstacks to fit the needs of various departments.

Piear‌

[Boe_K]

We ran into a similar issue when trying to package Adobe Reader XI, our work around which has worked on a few other apps that we saw the same type of error was as follows.

1) Install the app as normal

2) Delete the desktop shortcut and start menu shortcut

3) Go to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader (depending on OS Version)

4) Right click on AcroRD32.exe and select Desktop shortcut from the send to menu

5) Rename the shortcut so it looks like the original and copy it here C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

So far we have only had to do this process on a handful of apps hopefully this helps

[LukeK]

This happens if Adobe cannot find registry keys under the event you showed.

HKLM\Software\Policies registry keys are ignored/dropped during capture by default. You need to reimport them per script once the appstack attaches or through some other means such as Persona Management tool prior to the user getting into their desktop.

[lansti]

Hi. I have deployed Adobe reader 11 within an appstack.

1. Download AdbeRdr11000_nb_NO.exe, and extract it, so you can acces the AcroRead.msi.

2. Download and install (on your client) Adobe Customization tool.

3. Open the AcroRead.msi inside the tool, and config adobe reader the way you like - Generate .MST file.

4. Start your provisioning client, Copy the folder with MSI and MST into this client. 

5. Create or Update your App stack - Provision...

6. From Provision client - run command prompt with administrator, browse to your folder:

     msiexec /i AcroRead.msi Transforms=AcroRead.mst /passive

7. Deploy shotcut from UEM, for me i pointed to this location: %programfiles(x86)%\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\AcroRD32.exe

8. Log on to a VDI client and run Adobe from the shortcut you created.

[VDIMega]

I had this working on App Volumes a year ago, but decided it was just easier to update as part of the parent VM instead of in an appstack.

That being said, at some point, an appstack update caused IE to not be able to use the Adobe reader plugin (part of the parent VM).  I had to add the following to the snapvol.cfg to make this work again:

exclude_path=\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC

exclude_path=\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe

So even though I'm not delivering Adobe Reader in an appstack, I had to put lines in to keep the appstack from interfering with Adobe Reader 😕