Redeploy software to individual machines

In the past, after a piece of software had been deployed to a computer, it was not possible to a pain to re-deploy that software to an individual computer.  With Specops, it is now possible easier.  Instructions for Specops is under section A, instructions for legacy group policy software deployment is in section B.

A:
Before forcing the re-installation of the software, it is recommended that you remove the software from the computer, either through add/remove (if possible) or the Windows Software Cleanup Utility.

After the software is removed, run regedit and go out to:  (see figure 1 below)
HKLM\Software\SpecopsSoft\Specops Deploy\Client Side Extension

Find any references to your software under both Managed Deployments and Orphaned Deployments and delete those references (see figure 2 below)

After the references are deleted, do a gpupdate /force (if the software is one that is set to be able to install while logged on) or restart the computer.  The software should re-install at this point.

Figure 1

Figure 2
(note that you have to look in each folder to find the reference to which piece of software is being pushed out)

B:

This information is copied from http://www.techbunny.com/2010/03/reapplying-software-assignment-gpo-to.html  on 2/7/2012

There is a place in the registry where a machine tracks all the software policies that have been applied – HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Group Policy\AppMgmt.
You need to delete information from two different locations. First, the values for the software package under the AppMgmt key. The values are all in a GUID format, but you can find out the GUID of your application by looking for the Product code in the GPO intself. Find that in "Computer Configuration - Policies - Software Settings - Assigned Applications - (product name) - Deployment Information."

After you delete the proper entry under AppMgmt, find the corresponding application within the AppMgmt tree. This one is easier to find because the application name is listed as one of the values. (The product ID value will also match the GUID you deleted in the first step.) Delete the whole key.


Once the keys are removed, run gupdate \force and then reboot. The software application GPO will apply again.

Adding a website to a RSS feed

I've found it really helpful to use RSS feeds on the favorites bars in IE and Firefox.  RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, are web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works, such as blog entries or news headlines, in a standard format that is updated in real time.

The steps to add a site in each browser is a little different.

First browse to the page that you want to do a RSS feed to, in whichever browser you want to use.  If the page has a RSS feed, you'll see the icon.  Follow the instructions for the appropriate browser at this point.

IE 8 toolbar (the RSS feed is highlighted in the image) -- If there is no feed for that page, it'll be grayed out

IE:  Click on the RSS feed on the toolbar (highlighted in the image above).  This will open a new page.  Click on the link "Subscribe to this feed" that is located towards the top of the page.  Check the box "Add to Favorites Bar" in the window that pops up and click on Subscribe.  This places the live feed in the Favorites bar of IE.

Firefox 3.5 address bar (the RSS feed is located at the end of the address bar) -- If there is no feed for that page, the icon will not show up

Firefox:  Click on the RSS feed in the address bar.  This will bring up a subscription window.  Select "Bookmarks Toolbar" from the drop down box and click on Subscribe.  This places the live feed in the Bookmarks toolbar of Firefox.

IT Application (Teacher desktop, SPEEDe 2, etc...) won't load

This is concerning current generation IT applications such as Teacher Desktop or SPEEDe 2 (one wrote in .Net) that won't load.

Try deleting the folder 2.0 which is located under C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Apps\

After you delete the folder, start the program back up and it should work correctly now.

Computer not pulling down software policies

If you ever have a situation where you are not getting software to pull down, there are a couple things you can try.

First, check and make sure that the SpecOps CSE is installed and is the correct version.  As of today, March 3rd 2010, the version is 4.2.1217.1

Second, check the log which is located at 'c:\Windows\debug\usermode\SpecopsDeployDeployments.log'

There is also an issue with the software where, if the target criteria within the software package settings has an issue (pointing towards an invalid OU is where I have seen the issue), that can also prevent software from pulling down.

That's all for my first entry of Tech Tips