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DeskDirector Desktop App - Installation Issues

Niamh Ferns Updated by Niamh Ferns

DeskDirector Portal Troubleshooting

"My Antivirus is blocking the installation."

There are some cases where we are seeing issues with Antivirus programs blocking the DeskDirector Portal installer. To add to this, programs like WebRoot often block the installation with no message or notification displayed, leading to confusion.

To guarantee a smooth installation process, please ensure that the following paths (along with any subfolders) are whitelisted in your antivirus:

  • %Program Files(x86)%/ [your product name]
  • %Program Files%/ [your product name]
  • %LocalAppData%/SquirrelTemp
  • %LocalAppData%/deskdirectorportal
  • %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

 

"I ran the MSI, and it didn't do anything."

The MSI won't show anything until you have logged out and then log back in to Windows. After this, you should see the portal appear.

"I ran the MSI, logged out, and logged back in. It still did nothing."

There are two possible causes for this problem:

  1. The MSI didn't fire the executable file stored inside C:\Program Files (x86)\yourDDPortalName\ or C:\Program Files\yourDDPortalName\.
  2. The MSI located a DeskDirector .exe file in C:\Program Files, installed successfully, but then cannot detect any files in %AppData%\Local\deskdirectorportal\app-1.x.x. Then it cannot create any shortcuts for the end user or allow the user to execute the program.
    This is caused when, after having installed the client successfully, you decide to uninstall the program but leave the MSI installer intact.
    When the program has been uninstalled, not all folders get cleaned up correctly by the uninstall process (in particular, the folders under %AppData%\Local\deskdirectorportal may still exist as these are considered user-specific configs). If this is the case, even if the folder itself is empty, make sure that the folder has been removed entirely and then log out and log back in. The MSI should re-trigger the installation process.

"I downloaded EXE, uninstalled it and then installed via the MSI. Now it isn't installing anything."

When you download the EXE, it will create a folder under C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\deskdirectorportal. When the EXE is uninstalled, it will clear the folder but not delete the contents. The MSI then looks to see if the folder exists; if it does, it assumes the portal has already been installed.

You will need to delete this folder manually to re-try via the MSI installer.

Frequently Asked Questions

"How do I uninstall and reinstall DeskDirector Portal?"

If you need to reinstall DeskDirector Portal for troubleshooting purposes, please make sure you follow these instructions exactly:

  1. Uninstall the application itself (via add or remove programs)
  2. Uninstall the MSI (if you used the machine-wide installer)
  3. Ensure that the following folder has been removed: C:\Program Files (x86)\MSP DDPortal (The path and name may differ slightly. Check for folders labelled DeskDirector or with the name for your branded support portal.)
  4. Ensure that this folder is completely removed: %Appdata%\Local\deskdirectorportal
  5. Ensure that this folder is completely removed: %Appdata%\roaming\DeskDirector Portal

"Is there a way to automate the uninstallation?"

We have been provided with a VBScript that automates steps 3-5 for all users on the machine and ensures that the DeskDirector Portal has been removed cleanly for all users. This can be automated further in tandem with another script that checks to see if the user has uninstalled DeskDirector Portal. See below.

Credit for this script is given to Air-IT, based in the UK.
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set output = WScript.Stdout

On Error Resume Next

Set colUsers = objFSO.GetFolder("C:\Users").Subfolders

For Each folder in colUsers

If objFSO.FileExists(folder.Path & "\AppData\Local\DeskDirectorPortal\.dead") Then

output.writeline "Applying fix"

Set objDDFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(folder.Path & "\AppData\Local\DeskDirectorPortal")

objDDFolder.Delete()

End If

Next

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