Distribute Registry Update

I have a registry update that I would like to distribute using Patch Manager, but I am having difficulty constructing the package. I have the .reg file containing the key and I can create a .cmd file from which to execute the regedit.exe command; however, the Package Wizard wants a .msp, .msi, or .exe file. How do I go about creating a package to execute a .cmd file?

Find more posts tagged with

registry_keys

custom_package

Accepted answers

All comments

jbaits

You can get around the requirement for an actual installer one of two ways. You can use a dummy executable file that does nothing and put the command you need to run as a pre or post execution action or you can put the files you're using in a self extracting zip and have a post extraction command that completes the required actions.

LGarvin

Not to detract from the idea of using Patch Manager to distribute the registry update, as @jbaits has described the appropriate methodology using a self-extracting EXE as the primary package executable, but this is not a trivial task either.

One other option to evaluate is the use of Group Policy to set those registry values. GPO is the optimal methodology to use, as this is what Group Policy was designed to do. However, this would require you to create a GPO template, and you may find creating the Patch Manager package is preferable to creating a GPO template. (Arguably, it might even be easier.) Of course, some organizations may not have the necessary access to use Group Policy, or create GPO templates, and some organizations might even be uncomfortable using custom GPO templates at all, so this option won't work for everybody.

The other advantage to using Patch Manager is that you could deploy the changes to a single machine, whereas doing so via GPO would be much more complicated.

sdmusick

Thanks for the idea of using a dummy executable. On the surface this sounds like a perfect solution; however, after a day and a half of experimentation I was unsuccessful in actually getting it to work. It seems no matter what I tried the registry was unchanged. Ultimately I found my own solution by writing a .NET application in C# that updates the registry. I'm finding that this approach is working out well becuase I have complete freedom to specify the applicability rules in code rather than relying on choices offered by Patch Manager. Thanks for your assistance.

jbaits

I'm glad you found a solution that works for you. I'm not sure where you were having issues adding commands within package boot but I create custom packages for random tasks all the time. I've found that for some commands I need to call cmd.exe and then as a parameter use /c then the actual command I need to run. It's very helpful for adding reg entries post install or removing shortcuts when there isn't an easier way via cli parameters or a transform.