GPO + Software install: Doesn't work. Need help for my network technologies class?

Question

No one in class can get the software install to automatically load on the client pc. I'll try to sum it up the best I can. Have a class that we are working with Windows Server 2003. Have a Domain setup on our host pc. Have a second pc that is a client and can logon the domain. It can access the public folder that we setup. (We also put the test program Windows Defender MSI in there). We installed GPMC and are using Group Policy Manager (we also tried a similiar method in AD Users and Comps). So, we name our policy Push1 and we mapped it as \\server\folder\file.msi as per Microsoft's instructions (not browse). We double checked the members of/rights area and the clientxp (our test login name) has that. Both under the computer management and user management we tried setting up these GPO Software installs. Weird thing is that if we restart the server, it auto installs on there. I double checked and it shows it as comp/user management for our domain not the local pc Any ideas?Can add info

Answer 1

Your best bet to locate the trouble causing your GPO not to be applied properly is the RSoP tool, or Resultant State of Policy, which will clearly show which policies are active, and where they are applied. You access this tool via the Help and Support pages, (easiest access for me! lol) Just open Help and Support and type RSoP into the search box and click Search,and then open the tool from the right side of the Help and Support window. Once you locate the tool, check the How to Open area so you can easily type in the tools name in the Run box, or any other cmd prompt window where you can open and run programs for future access.

Unless and until you check out your RSoP there isn't anything more I can say here. This is the best method of discovering what policy is in place, if it is in conflict with another policy, or if a permission is getting in the way via inheritence, etc. This tool is the main method for troubleshooting Group Policy.

Good luck and I hope you and your class solves this mystery really soon. Please have a nice holiday season.

*edit* why not ask the instructor what is up? Surely s/he is willing to offer out suggestion, or at the very least point you folks in the right direction? Isn't that what instructors are for?

Inheritence and precedence can be a major headache. However, it sounds like as you work through this and locate what is wrong, you will learn a great deal about GP and GPO, and RSoP.