Deployment via Intune leads to errors at starting PowerToys

[tomsoe]

ℹ Computer information

• PowerToys version: 0.27.1
• PowerToy Utility: All
• Running PowerToys as Admin: No
• Windows build number: Microsoft Windows 20H2 (OS-build 19042.685)

📝 Provide detailed reproduction steps (if any)

1. Installing PowerToys via Intune through Company Portal. The initial package is made with PowerShell App Deployment Kit with this parameter for installation: Execute-Process -Path "$dirFiles\PowerToysSetup-0.27.1-x64.exe" -Parameters '--silent'

The installation is working fine while running the script in admin context, but when I install via Intune I stuble upon a couple of errors.

My two cents are that there might be issues with the context which the package runs from:
User context: Runs OK*
Admin context: Runs OK
System context: Failed

*User context is not an option in this case since the application prompts for elevated rights when running the installation *.exe. The users are not allowed to run anything with elevated rights in my environment.

✔️ Expected result

What is the expected result of the above steps?
I guess I expect the application to be installed with no errors as it does when installing it manually or in admin context.

❌ Actual result

What is the actual result of the above steps?
If I install PT manually in user and admin context it works as expected. All features runs OK.
If I install the application through Company Portal the installation progress reports no errors for users, but when you start the application from the start menu you're in a loop of errors.

The application doesn't seem to start when running it. No logo in the bottom-right corner (^), neither any signs of PowerToys running in Task Manager.

If you start explorer.exe while PT is installed it will just crash over and over. If you start explorer.exe in admin context it might not crash however this isn't consistant.

PowerToys also fails to create the schedule task. When running in '--silent' you won't get the error, but when you run it with '--no_full_ui' you'll get the errormsg.

I get these errors in eventwr.msc (appologies for foreign language):
Programnavn med feil: PowerToys.exe, versjon: 0.27.1.0, tidsangivelse: 0x5fcfc216
Modulnavn med feil: PowerToys.exe, versjon: 0.27.1.0, tidsangivelse: 0x5fcfc216
Unntakskode: 0xc0000409
Feilforskyvning: 0x000000000009943d
Feil prosess-ID: 0x32b8
Feil starttid for program: 0x01d6d2b64f137741
Feil programbane: C:\Program Files\PowerToys\PowerToys.exe
Feil modulbane: C:\Program Files\PowerToys\PowerToys.exe
Rapport-ID: 88d7da11-98dd-49c7-a2b4-b3e7ab8e6cd9
Fullstendig navn på feilpakke:
Relativ program-ID for feilpakke:

Programnavn med feil: explorer.exe, versjon: 10.0.19041.662, tidsangivelse: 0x996782f8
Modulnavn med feil: ucrtbase.dll, versjon: 10.0.19041.546, tidsangivelse: 0x43cbc11d
Unntakskode: 0xc0000409
Feilforskyvning: 0x000000000007287e
Feil prosess-ID: 0x4308
Feil starttid for program: 0x01d6d2b62d9ae29f
Feil programbane: C:\Windows\explorer.exe
Feil modulbane: C:\Windows\System32\ucrtbase.dll
Rapport-ID: f023a40b-df89-4fdf-ab6c-15b260fc93bc
Fullstendig navn på feilpakke:
Relativ program-ID for feilpakke:

I've tried PT 0.25 - experimental 0.28. with the same errors as mentioned.
Intune is using system account to install software.

The only related issue I've stumbled upon is #1910

📷 Screenshots

Are there any useful screenshots? WinKey+Shift+S and then just paste them directly into the form

[enricogior]

@tomsoe
I suspect the only solution here is to provide the functionality to extract the msi from the .exe as in #8602
On your side, you will have to add a pre step of installing .NET Core and keep that step updated when we will switch to .NET 5.0 and later.
You will have to uninstall the existing installation of PowerToys before installing a new version.
Would that be an acceptable solution for you?

[tomsoe]

@enricogior
Thanks for replying! :)

I tried your suggestion to extract the msi from the *.exe.
I did this by running the *.exe and extract *.msi from %Temp%.

I used this command to uninstall which is also used in my pre-installation section

        if(Test-path "C:\Program Files\PowerToys\PowerToys.exe"){
        Execute-MSI -Action Uninstall -Path "{3E993172-002F-4D62-BC26-8A3B0F036F7F}" 
        }

I also added an if statement to check the current version of .NET on the device. If its outdated or doesn't exist it will install .NET 3.1.

I used this command to install:
Execute-MSI -Path "$dirFiles\PowerToysBootstrappedInstaller-0.27.1.0.msi"-Parameters "/qb-!"

Result:
Same as I originally mentioned above, e.g:
Script works when running locally.
While running in system context: Explorer.exe crashes when PT is installed. No PT running in Task Manager.

[tomsoe]

Hi, do you have any update on this issue, @crutkas ? :)

[enricogior]

We will revisit this issue after we fix #9720, #9169, #8523

[tomsoe]

Alright @enricogior. If there is anything I can help with, let me know! :)

[crutkas]

@tomsoe, #13647 says they are installing via intunes and 2 of the 3 items here are fixed.

[ghost]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has been marked as requiring author feedback but has not had any activity for 5 days. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 5 days of this comment.