WebView2 Detection

[ekraus]

I ran into a self-created snafu with Microsoft WebView2 today where installs of the product were failing in our task sequence. We were using the Patch My PC packaged deployment to ensure that WebView2 was the most current version and found today that it WebView2 was updating on its own before reaching the Install Application step where we had it. Since we happen to be in the limbo period where the latest published version of WebView2 is less than the most current version available from Microsoft, the install was throwing a -2147219187 (GOOPDATEINSTALL_E_INSTALLER_HIGHER_VERSION_EXISTS). After examining the detection script, it doesn't look like it's doing a greater than or equal to operation on the version being installed. Is this something that could be modified for future versions of WebView2?

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

This is actually a bug with the latest WebView2, you haven't done anything wrong here. The latest version of WebView2 is not putting down the DisplayName in the ARP registry key, which is causing our Detection Script not to detect. There's a bug reported here: https://github.com/MicrosoftEdge/WebView2Feedback/issues/4931 We didn't update WebView2 yesterday due to this issue. We'll have to wait for Microsoft to resolve.

[swoonhusker]

We had Edge Webview2 in our esp and autopilot is failing. We should deploy the old version instead until this is hopefully resolved in the next release?

[swoonhusker]

FYI, it looks like ours is failing with version 130.0.2849.80. The github post references version 131.0.2903.48.

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

Unfortunately, it won't matter which version you deploy. It seems like the version on the machine auto-updates to the latest broken version before our version even has a chance to attempt to install, so the installation will return a failure at the moment. It seems Microsoft is aware of the issue, and I am hoping they pull that update soon.

[swoonhusker]

Thanks Andrew!

[dhwatts]

So happy I found this post as I've already spent so much time on WebView2. Unfortunately, according to this link, WV2 will no longer appear in the installed apps list.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-relnote-stable-channel#announcement

WV2 has been such a pain for me, after provisioning/autopilot is complete and the user logs in, apps like Global Protect and Teams install. However, both Global Protect and Teams require WV2. Both apps fail because not being able to find WV2 although I can find WV2 in the registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\Clients\{F3017226-FE2A-4295-8BDF-00C3A9A7E4C5}

Has anyone else struggled with this and hopefully found a solution?

[Andrew Jimenez (Patch My PC)]

I'm attempting to have Microsoft correct this mistake here: https://github.com/MicrosoftEdge/WebView2Feedback/issues/4931#issuecomment-2480259132 if you have a github account, please vote on my post and/or make a comment of your own, they can hide the app from ARP without messing up detection for everyone.

[dhwatts]

Thanks Andrew. I just wish MS would leave things alone and stop making more work for us.