Update for Git not detecting installation in user profile

[Robert Stein]

I have tried deploying to a device group and a user group. Is it necessary to change the Install Behavior to User? Is this even possible for updates from the publisher?

[Spencer (Patch My PC)]

Hey Robert,

Thanks for reaching out on the forum!

At this time, we don't support detection of apps that are installed in the user profiles. We are limited to only detect products that make an uninstall registry entry in either HKLM or HKCU. If the exe resides in the %AppData% without an uninstall registry entry, then our products won't be able to detect those.

We are working on improving this behavior however, I don't have a firm timeline as to when that will be available.

I would recommend looking at alternative methods for those products such as PSADT as that solution supports install/detection under the user context.

[Robert Stein]

Git is in HKCU uninstall.
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Git_is1

[Spencer (Patch My PC)]

Got it, thank you for that insight! Unfortunately, the supported versions of GIT in our catalog are for the machine wide installers. I can reach out to our app team and see if we can get the user-based version added or if there is some blocker preventing us from adding it.

In the meantime, can you please request that product on our uservoice page:
https://ideas.patchmypc.com/ideas

[Spencer (Patch My PC)]

Hey Robert,

Thank you for your patience here! I confirmed with our App team that Git does not offer a User based installer at this time. It's possible you may be using an older version that was installed in the user context which the Machine installation packages can't detect.

You can verify the offerings by GIT here: https://git-scm.com/downloads/win

Let me know if you have a link to the user version or where that may have been sourced/installed from?

[Robert Stein]

I actually got the installer to simulate a user install from the PMPC CM app. When I run the EXE with no options it defaults to installing in C:\Users\XXXXXX\AppData\Local\Programs\Git

[Robert Stein]

I hope my reply yesterday did not come across as hostile. I have a lot of apps installed in user's profiles that my security team is on my back about. For Zoom I was able to install from SCCM as device and it removed the user install. No such luck with Git so I had high hopes for Intune to be able to patch it.

[Spencer (Patch My PC)]

Hey Robert,

Apologies for the delay here! I wrote up a response a couple of days ago but I guess it didn't go through!

Since GIT is installed in the user profile then we won't be able to remove it at this time. I would recommend looking into PSADT script which do support running processes in the user profiles and can be configured to remove those user based applications.

You can then tie that PSADT package as a pre-script along with our Machine installer packages to remove the user variants and replace them with the machine wide installers.

https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/docs/category/getting-started

https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/docs/reference/functions/Start-ADTProcessAsUser

https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/docs/reference/functions/Uninstall-ADTApplication

[Robert Stein]

Thanks, Spencer. I will look into this.

Meanwhile, for specifically Git, I found they have a Command Line Interface that I can use to trigger an update or prompt the user to update. I'm creating a remediation script to check for user install of Git and then run the update checker when found.

[Spencer (Patch My PC)]

You're welcome, sir and thank you for sharing the workaround!

Please let us know if that works for you in case other customers are in the same situation!