Teamviewer Auto Updating and Deploying EXE

EWTeamview
EWTeamview Posts: 1
edited May 2023 in General questions

I have a batch file that I run when I need to install Teamviewer. I noticed that the MSI file deployment option no longer allows Auto Update. 

I'm updating my batch file to use the EXE version (as it should allow auto update) and trying to figure out how to install our Custom Host Module, with auto assignment and registry file (containing settings).

 

How would I do this? The Mass deployment page doesn't really go into detail on if you wish to still use Auto Update, Auto Assignment and via the EXE file.

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Comments

  • henrikravn
    henrikravn Posts: 4

    It's so stupid the MSI no longer allows Auto Update, what are they thinking about...
    Also the EXE does not allow as smooth deployment as the MSI does...

    So it's smooth deployment vs. Auto Update :-(

  • wr975
    wr975 Posts: 8

    Late answer, but perhaps it helps someone. We've updated from v12 to v14 recently and I wondered why some hosts wouldn't update anymore. Support wouldn't tell my why they did it and "There's no way to enable it again."

    So there, I had to waste much of my own time:

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\TeamViewer]
    "MsiInstallation"=dword:00000000

    enables auto-update again. Support told me, this setting transforms a MSI installation to EXE and is not supported. This MsiInstallation key is set by the MSI setup since v13. If you install MSI Setup V12 it'll happily auto-update to V14 and keep updating. So, if you want to stay on the "supported" side, deploy MSI V12 via script and let it auto-update - or - do it the proper way and deploy MSI via GPO.

    But here's the problem. Only msi can be deployed via script. For.exe there's no documentation. Is it possible? Yes. Changes made in v13 assignment made it possible. Here's the installation script I've written. You still need to create a deployable MSI to get your MSI-token, etc.

    https://www.codepile.net/pile/ymVXxvoa
    https://www.codepile.net/pile/d2g0wNXO

    As far as I see it, auto-update is always installing the exe version (not msi). That's why there are two TeamViewer entries in Software Uninstall (one time msiexec uninstall, one time "C:\Program Files (x86)\TeamViewer\uninstall.exe). In earlier versions the MSI Installer registered as "Teamviewer (MSI Wrapper)." In v14 not. So there are two "Teamviewer 14 Host" entries in Software Uninstall, which seems like an error. Uninstall the wrong one (exe) and the MSI installation is messed up and needs registry repairing. Perhaps that irritated people.

    This is not produced by MsiInstallation"=dword:00000000. That's something TeamViewer is doing since I've started using it (TeamViewer 8). Also, if you install TeamViewer_host.exe from scratch and set "MsiInstallation"=dword:00000001 Auto-Update is disabled.

  • henrikravn
    henrikravn Posts: 4

    Thanks :)

    Unfortunately enabling Auto Update with "MsiInstallation=0" leads to some other problems:

    1: Easy Access is greyed out, but still works
    2: TeamViewer 14 gets listed 2 times under installed "Programs and Features"
    3: Monitoring gets disabled as TV is reinstalled not updated

    The developers should really find a supported solution to get Auto Update work with v14 MSI installations. Manually updating MSI installations with numerous customers are a PAIN :(

  • wr975
    wr975 Posts: 8

    If you install v12 MSI it'll auto-update to v14 (via EXE install) and keep auto-update enabled. If you've experience the same issues, you can contact support about it, as you've done nothing "un-supported". ;)

    Auto-Updates for MSI installations are always EXE installers. I've experienced double entries in program and features since Version 8 of Teamviewer. But I've explained that already. I guess MSI is just not designed to be deployed via script. Disable auto-update and deploy MSI via GPO. For new installations I do not use MSI anymore, as I managed to get the same result with the EXE installation. This should be easier. It'd be nice if the EXE setup gets more command line parameters.

  • henrikravn
    henrikravn Posts: 4

    Are you willing to share the script for deploying and assigning via v14 EXE install so that we can install and "forget" and not worry about old installations?

  • wr975
    wr975 Posts: 8

    Please see the codepile links in my first answer.

    The cmd script checks the installed version number and installs if the setup is newer only. If you don't need this, erase lines 37-62 and 2-13

    Please see https://community.teamviewer.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Mass-deployment-improvements/ta-p/39639 to learn how to find MSI-Token(ConfigID), API-TOKEN and GROUP-ID.

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