Installing Patches/Application remotely on windows Machine using Psexec

Powershell26 Comments

Installing pathes/Application on a remote computer is not a tough one when you have lots of Microsoft and third party application to do this for us.Chances that few companies still does not wanted to relay on software to install patches and Administrator manually installed this. You should ask this question to the Administrators who works on weekend installing patches manually, do you like this to do every weekend ? I am sure he will give you very dirty look for sure 🙂

Below is the small piece of code you may like to use it for installing pathces or any small application on various computer remotely.

Prerequisits
1. Download PSExec.exe from Microsoft.com (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx) and copy to C:\Psexec.exe
2. Create C:\Hotfixes and dump the path here
3. Copy below code and save it as C:\patchinstall.vbs
4. Create C:\Servers.txt with list of servername
5. Rename with the appropriate name
6. Open command prompt type cscript C:\patchinstall.vbs

This code will copy the patch to all the remote computer mentioned in C:\Servers.txt under C:\Hotfixes and it uses psexec.exe to install the patch on the remote computer

Set objShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") set filetxt = objFSO.OpenTextFile("C:\Servers.txt",1)strPSExec = "C:\PSExec.exe"rbcopy = "c:\Windows\System32\Robocopy.exe"strPSExec = objFSO.GetFile(strPSExec).ShortPathrbcopy = objFSO.GetFile(rbcopy).ShortPath do Until filetxt.AtEndOfStream strComputer = filetxt.Readline strComputer = trim(strComputer)   strCmd = "cmd /C " & rbcopy  & " C:\Hotfixes" & " \\" & strComputer & "\c$\Hotfixes" wscript.echo strcmd objShell.Run strCmd, 1, True  strCmd = "cmd /C " & strPSExec & " \\" & strComputer & " ""C:\Hotfixes\<Hotfixname.exe>"" /quite" wscript.echo strcmd objShell.Run strCmd, 1, TrueLoop

26 thoughts on “Installing Patches/Application remotely on windows Machine using Psexec”

  7. Its not working for me. It do copy the files in the specified directory on remote machine but nothing else. I cant see patch applied to the machine in window update history.
    I really need this solution as i have to deploy many patches manually as WSUS is not doing the work.
    Please help

    Reply

  10. Hi Krishna!

    Thanks for the reply. Yes the hotfix are in C:\Hotfixes both on source and destination computers.

    Its works fine with copying but it cant execute the file.

    Reply

  13. I think the problem is here:
    “”C:\Hotfixes\”” /quite” . It cant find .

    I guess there is something else instead of

    Reply

  14. I entered file name direct:
    strCmd = “cmd /C ” & strPSExec & ” \\” & strComputer & ” “”C:\Hotfixes\SQLServer2008R2-KB2494088-x64.exe”” /quite”
    but even that didnt help. I can see in a flash screen that its says
    The system cannot find the specified file.

    Reply

  17. ok finally i manage to run it with manual way i.e inserting the file name instead of . The script copies the file and run for more than 1 min and i can see some message in new command prompt in a flash and thats it. I cant find the KB installed on the remote computer.
    Any way i can print the error message on the screen or file?

    Reply

  20. You must edit the line in the script: “”C:\Hotfixes\””
    Change into your patch file name eg. “”C:\Hotfixes\KB999999.exe””

    Also, there’s a typo in the script. /quite must be fixed to /quiet

    Reply

  21. how would I install a list of patches from a folder that contains more than 20 patches to machines that few will need 5 patches other 8 and the rest 20 patches…. any input on this one… this is my dilemma that I have…. please help

    Reply

  23. Hi Krishna,

    i would want to install the patch but not to reboot the server, any additional lines should be added to the script?

    Thank You

    Reply

  24. I want to get a report in which machines the patch is installed. Is there any way how to get that and include in the script

    Reply

    • Hi Madhu,

      Refer below link & u can generate report for multiple computers / server on one KB# / Hotfix #

      https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Generate-a-Report-for-f71a6800

      copy & save below code in notepad & rename to anyname.ps1 grant full permission to yourself & try your luck

      computers.txt – mention the name of the servers

      $computers = cat c:\computers.txt
      $Patch = “KB2819745”
      foreach ($computer in $computers)
      {
      if (get-hotfix -id $Patch -ComputerName $computer -ErrorAction 2)
      {
      Add-content “Hotfix is Present in $computer” -path “$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\Hotfix-Present.log”
      }
      Else
      {
      Add-content “Hotfix is not Present in $computer” -path “$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\Missing-Hotfix.log”
      }
      }

      Reply

  25. Hi Everyone!
    It does not work for me. I have error on Line 8, Char 1.

    This is what I have:

    Set objShell = CreateObject(“Wscript.Shell”)
    Set objFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

    set filetxt = objFSO.OpenTextFile(“D:\Equipos.txt”,1)
    strPSExec = “D:\PSExec.exe”
    rbcopy = “c:\Windows\System32\Robocopy.exe”

    strPSExec = objFSO.GetFile(strPSExec).ShortPath
    rbcopy = objFSO.GetFile(rbcopy).ShortPath

    do Until filetxt.AtEndOfStream
    strComputer = filetxt.Readline
    strComputer = trim(strComputer)

    strCmd = “cmd /C ” & rbcopy & ” D:\Hotfixes\kb4012212_x86.msu” & ” \\” & strComputer & “\D$\Hotfixes\kb4012212_x86.msu”
    wscript.echo strcmd
    objShell.Run strCmd, 1, True

    strCmd = “cmd /C ” & strPSExec & ” \\” & strComputer & ” “”D:\Hotfixes\”” /quiet”
    wscript.echo strcmd
    objShell.Run strCmd, 1, True

    Loop

    Reply

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