This method presents a way to install and customise Adobe Reader 11.0.02 (XI) in combination with the Adobe Customisation Wizard and GPO.
The main reason why I tend to use the Adobe Customisation wizard is the extra options you get with the GUI and the ADM/ADMX that Adobe provided only allows for Accepting the EULA and Suppressing the Splash Screen at first startup. If you follow these steps as the updates get released it will be easier later on as the .bat script simply gets added onto.
First we need to create a few folders on our local computer as we will be running some CMD prompt commands. Therefore, it is easier installing on the root of C:
C:\AIP (Our Administrative Install point)
C:\AdobeReaderDownloads (Where the original apps will go)
C:\AdobeReaderTransform (The finalised server version)
Secondly, we need to download the Adobe Customisation Wizard X.
Download the Apps to “C:\AdobeReaderDownloads”
Adobe Customisation Wizard XI (6.2MB)
http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/acrobat/win/11.x/11.0.00/misc/CustWiz11000_en_US.exe
Download and install (Don’t worry about this until later)
WinRAR (1.4MB) – wrar420.exe
http://www.rarlab.com/rar/wrar420.exe
Adobe Reader 11.0.02 (48 MB) - AdbeRdr11002_en_US.exe
11.0.01 (16.6MB) - AdbeRdrUpd11001.msp
http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/11.x/11.0.01/misc/AdbeRdrUpd11001.msp
11.0.02 (1.5MB) - AdbeRdrSecUpd11002.msp
http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/11.x/11.0.02/misc/AdbeRdrSecUpd11002.msp
Creating the Administrative Install Point
1. Download and install WinRAR
2. Download and install Adobe Customisation Wizard XI
3. If you have not signed up to the “Adobe Runtimes / Reader Distribution License Agreement” I suggest you do so, if you have the Admin Distribution Link skip to step 6.
4. You can sign up here: http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/distribution.html
5. Depending on what you have signed up for Adobe will then email you a link to download the administrative versions of Flash, Adobe Reader, Shockwave and AIR.
6. Using the Distrubution link download the Adobe Reader Administrator Distribution package following the three steps presented on the website to ‘C:\AdobeReaderDownloads’
7. Under ‘C:\AdobeReaderDownloads’, Right Click on ‘AdbeRdr11002_en_US.exe’ and click ‘Extract Here…’ with WinRAR
8. After this has completed create ‘AIP.bat’ file by right clicking in the right hand explorer pane, ‘New – Text Document’ and change the name as well as the extention to ‘AIP.bat’
9. Right Click on ‘AIP.bat’ and click ‘Edit’.
10. Add this into the file and then ‘File-Save’:
msiexec /a C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AcroRead.msi
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrUpd11001.msp
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrSecUpd11002.msp
11. Close Notepad and run ‘AIP.bat’ with administrative rights. (right click ‘run with administrative rights)
12. When the install dialogues prompt for a location, install to ‘C:\AIP’. This creates a administrative installer that allows slipstreaming of updates into the actual ‘AcroRead.msi’ which you will have to create a new one each time a new patch is applied. Sadly, you do end up with having four folders and an .msi. It’s just how it is.
13. Copy ‘setup.ini’ from ‘C:\AdobeReaderDownloads’ to ‘C:\AIP’ OR create a text file and save in ‘C:\AIP’ as ‘setup.ini’:
[Startup]
RequireOS=Windows 2000
RequireMSI=3.0
RequireIE=6.0.2600.0
[Product]
msi=AcroRead.msi
[Windows 2000]
PlatformID=2
MajorVersion=5
ServicePackMajor=4
[MSI Updater]
Path=http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/8.x/8.0/misc/WindowsInstaller-KB893803-v2-x86.exe
14. Install and run Adobe Customisation Wizard XI
15. File – Copy Package
16. In the pop up dialogue
> The existing source package is located at: ‘C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi’
> Specify a Name for your package I went with ‘AcroRead’
> Where it is to be copied to: C:\AdobeReaderTransform
17. Click OK and wait for it to copy.
18. Go through the Left hand panel enter in the personalisation you want whether you want to disable looking for updates, silent installation and suppressed rebooting, EULA e.t.c
19. Once done Click File – Save Package.
This will have generated AcroRead.mst and updated your setup.ini file to enable silent install and more if selected. Close the Customisation Wizard. You can come back to your package at any time by opening up ‘AcroRead.msi’ under ‘C:\AdobeReaderTransform\yourNameOfPackage\’ make your edits and save again.
20. Copy the ‘yourNameOfPackage’ folder from C:\AcrobatTransform\ to your server share
21. Open up Group Policy Management MMC
22. Go to the Organisational Unit that you want to apply software to
23. Right click on the OU and select ‘Create a GPO in this Domain, and link it here…’
24. Write your GPO name. mine was “Software – Adobe Reader 11.0.02” Click OK
25. Right Click on GPO, Click Edit
26. Drill down “Computer Configuration – Policies – Software Settings – Software Installations”
27. Right click “Software Installations”
28. Click ‘New – Package’
29. Browse to your server share of ‘yourNameOfPackage’ Click Open
30. Select Deployment Method: Advanced
a. Under General Tab - Change the name if you want to
b. Under Deployment Tab – Change whether you want the application to uninstall off computers when you remove the GPO
c. Under Upgrades Tab - You can choose GPO’s which this can upgrade over. For example older versions of Acrobat and also gives you the ability to either uninstall then install the new product or just do an upgrade.
31. Click Modifications Tab
32. Click Add…
33. Browse to your ‘yourNameOfPackage’ folder on the server share and select your ‘yourNameOf.MST’ file.
34. Click Open
35. Click Ok
36. Exit out of Group Policy Management, restart the computers and enjoy!
Microbrew mentioned if using SCCM 2012 use "msiexec /i "AcroRead.msi" TRANSFORMS=AcroRead.mst /q" as the installation program command to apply the transformation.
In regards to your question - Sadly, due to how adobe do their admin packages, you need to take over the whole folder. Not just the MSI + MST.. - trancendence 11 years ago
My main problem is slipstreaming the patches. The commands just dont work for me. The following:
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrUpd11001.msp
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrSecUpd11002.msp
both return an error saying the upgrade patch cant be found... im running the command line from the same folder that the files exist in? Any ideas? - nuthinworxright 11 years ago
msiexec /a C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AcroRead.msi
then install it to C:\AIP\ - trancendence 11 years ago
Heres a couple screen shots of the folder. I attempted both from the root of C and the folder where all files reside.
http://s8.postimg.org/cvjhf42md/Reader_Fail.jpg
http://s8.postimg.org/o960qbd51/Reader_Fail2.jpg
thanks for your time. - nuthinworxright 11 years ago
So you end up with something similar (guessing the name, and I'm assuming it's a quarterly) to: msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrSecUpd11003.msp
Will write up a new blog within a week. - trancendence 11 years ago
Reader pattern formula: Last MSI + latest quarterly + latest out of cycle patch)
Acceptable: 11.0.0 > 11.0.01 (Q) > 11.0.02 (OOC)
Acceptable: 11.0.0 > 11.0.03 (Q)
You need to remove the 11.0.01 and 11.0.02 lines from your batch file, and replace them with only a line for 11.0.03. - thebeluga 11 years ago
Placed them in the directory C:\AdobeReaderDownloads and extracted the exe using WinRar
I modified the bat file with the following lines
msiexec /a C:\C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AcroRead.msi
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrSecUpd11003.msp
I then ran that bat file and when prompted for the destination path I used C:\AIP
This created the files I needed in the AIP folder
I opened up the Adobe Customization Wizard software and made the changes I needed and saved the output file C:\AdobeReaderTransform\
When I now install the AcroRead.msi file from that it installs fine and says 11.0.03
I hope this works for you all, and remember just because this worked for me doesn't mean it will work for you please test it first and if I have made any mistakes please correct this
*** I was unable to deploy this software via GPO, if anybody can help that would be great - AlexM1337 11 years ago
AdbeRdr11002_en_US.exe -nos_o"C:\Folder" -nos_ne - aragorn.2003 11 years ago
msiexec /a C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AcroRead.msi
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrUpd11004_MUI.msp
I tried it with the MUI File and with the other 11004.msp File but in the end I get allways the Error code that something is missing (same text what nuthinworxright has posted).
Please help me, what do I wrong? - mcrib 11 years ago
"Found the solution. The original acroreader11 package was a Multilanguage (MUI) version but the update was not. replaced adbeRdrUpd11001.msp with adbeRdrUpd11001_MUI.msp and it worked. Details!.. "
It's very specific about what type of base installer and subsequent updates are used... =] - trancendence 11 years ago
http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/11.x/11.0.07/misc/AdbeRdrUpd11007.msp
http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/11.x/11.0.08/misc/AdbeRdrSecUpd11008.msp - mspritch 10 years ago
The content of .bat file should be (without quotation marks):
"msiexec /a C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AcroRead.msi
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrUpd11007.msp
msiexec /a C:\AIP\AcroRead.msi /p C:\AdobeReaderDownloads\AdbeRdrSecUpd11008.msp" - lfortin 9 years ago
http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/AdminGuide/aip.html
and with the help of this Release Notes webpage you'll be able to see which files you need (e.g. most recent Q + all OCC released after the Q) :
http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/release-note/release-notes-acrobat-reader.html - lfortin 10 years ago
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows - lfortin 10 years ago
You should only have to require 11.0.0 -> 11.0.18(Q)
It's only if you want to patch with an out-of-cycle release you need to tack it on to the latest quarterly, for example if 11.0.19 was out of cycle, but 11.0.20 was a quaterly you would get something like this:
11.0.0 -> 11.0.18(Q) -> 11.0.19(OOC)
11.0.0 -> 11.0.20(Q) - trancendence 8 years ago