EXE Software Installation (System Wide-All Users)

Why you would use the System Wide EXE Software Installation Worklet?

This System Wide EXE Software Installation Worklet is designed to grant an administrator the ability to install an EXE system-wide to all users with minimal knowledge of the bitness, command line, or other EXE properties. Once installation has been completed, the script will then check both 32-bit and 64-bit registry hives to verify installation was successful.

How to install an EXE system-wide with this PowerShell Worklet

By placing the name of the EXE to be uploaded, between the single quotes, this Worklet will apply the standard command line arguments to silently install the application with logging.

And by placing an application name between the single quotes, the Worklet will scan the registry for the matching application. If the application is not found, it will return an Exit code of '1' and flag the device for remediation.

$displayName: The application name provided should match closely as it is displayed in "Programs and Features" (Add or Remove Programs) for Win7/8.1, and "Apps and Features" for Win10. 

Please note that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications are not currently supported in this Worklet. While this should work for most applications certain displaynames may require the use of wild cards (*).

$displayVerison: This is the version of the application you are detecting. This version information should match what's displayed in "Programs and Features" (Add or Remove Programs) for Win7/8.1, and "Apps and Features" for Win10. Sometimes developers use different versions than what's displayed. Please verify the associated displayversion in the registry to confirm.

What is system-wide EXE software installation?

A system-wide EXE software installer, also known as machine-wide installer, refers to the process of installing software applications designed for a specific operating system, typically Windows, through executable files with the .exe extension. This type of installation requires administrative access and affects both user configurations and computer configurations.

When installing software system-wide, administrative privileges are necessary to modify system files and settings that impact all users. The software files are typically placed in shared directories or system folders such as program files, making them accessible to all users on the computer. This approach eliminates the need for individual installations for each user account.

During the installation, modifications may be made to the Windows Registry, a database that stores configuration settings for the operating system and installed software. 

These changes help register the software correctly and make it available to all users. Additionally, system-wide installations often create shortcuts in the Start Menu or on the desktop, ensuring easy access to the software for one user, a new user, or all users without the need for manual shortcut creation.

By performing a system-wide installation to install Microsoft Teams, for example, default settings and preferences can be uniformly applied to all user accounts. This ensures a consistent install across the system, allowing all users to start with the same initial user configuration or computer configuration.