Deploying VC 2 client via Active Directory

[Scampy]

Has anyone out there managed to successfully deploy the VC 2 Client to locked down workstations through AD publishing?

Whenever I attempt to the install fails with:

Setup failed to set permissions for key HLKM/Software/Vmware, Inc.

Any work arounds people have come up with?

[esiebert7625]

See the below post, similar error. It sounds like the user that the install is running as does not have permission to the registry key.

http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=702191&tstart=0

[Scampy]

Giving the user permissions to the key is not a problem once it's created. But if it doesn't exist until after you try to install the client you're in a catch-22.

The real question is why the installer doesn't get elevated administrative rights like it should when you are installing a published application.

If it did it could set permissions on keys and should be happy.

[ftempel]

I have succesfully deployed the VI Client through AD user based to restricted users. But it's not for the faint of heart. Basically the procedure is as follows:

- Get rid of the custom action which sets the permissions on the registry keys (this is what you ran into, and is only the first of your problems). Why this custom action exists is beyond me, seems someone broke something somewhere which needs this kludge.

- Get rid of the check and install of the .NET framework (assume .NET 2.x+ is already installed). You can't deploy .NET frameworks user based anyway. If you succeeded in doing so, please let me know how!

- Replace the two CRT merge modules with versions which don't check for ALLUSERS=1 (i.e. the latest versions from visual studio)

- Enable self registration for tspopup.dll and the two OCX files

- Set all advertising of the features to "None"

- Move all components to a single feature

This works for me until I try to login to VC as unprivileged user from another domain. But more on that in a post I'm going to write in a minute...