Automating Software Installation
Deploying software manually to dozens or hundreds of computers is an administrative nightmare. Windows Server Group Policy allows you to silently deploy MSI (Microsoft Installer) packages across your entire domain, ensuring that users always have the required applications without needing local administrator rights or IT intervention.
Step 1: Prepare the Network Share
Group Policy requires the deployment files to be accessible over the network. Create a shared folder on your file server (e.g., C:\SoftwareDeploy). Share it and ensure that the Domain Computers and Authenticated Users groups have Read permissions at both the Share and NTFS levels.
Place your .msi installer file into this shared folder.
Step 2: Create a New Group Policy Object
Open the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc). Right-click the Organizational Unit (OU) containing the computers or users you want to target, and select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…. Name the GPO appropriately, such as “Deploy Application X”.
Step 3: Configure the Software Installation Policy
Right-click the new GPO and select Edit. To install the software on the machine regardless of who logs in, navigate to:
Computer Configuration > Policies > Software Settings > Software installation
Step 4: Assign the Package
Right-click in the empty right-hand pane, select New, and then Package…. Browse to the MSI file using the UNC network path (e.g., \\FileServer\SoftwareDeploy\App.msi). Do not use a local drive letter (like C:), as the client computers will attempt to find the file on their own C: drives.
In the deployment method dialog, select Assigned and click OK. The software package will now appear in the list.
Step 5: Force the Deployment
By default, computer-assigned software installs during the computer’s startup sequence. To trigger the installation on a client machine, open an elevated Command Prompt and run:
gpupdate /force /boot
The client machine will restart. During the next boot sequence, before the login screen appears, Windows will quietly install the MSI package.