Recipe 4.16. Remotely Uninstalling a Microsoft Application Using Group Policy

You want to remotely uninstall a Microsoft application that you've installed to users from a central server, using Group Policy.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. Run the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by choosing Start All Programs Administrative Tools, and then choose Active Directory Users and Computers.

2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, choose Properties, click the Group Policy tab, select the Group Policy Object you've created for installing the software, and click Edit.

3. Expand the Software Settings container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package. Click the Software installation container that contains the package.

4. In the right pane of the Group Policy window, right-click the program, choose All Tasks, and then click Remove.

5. Select "Immediately uninstall the software from users and computers," and click OK.

6. Quit the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then quit the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. The application will be uninstalled on all users' machines.

Discussion

If you want, you can choose to allow users to keep using the software, but not allow any new users to install it. To do that, in step 5, choose "Allow users to continue to use the software, but prevent new installations," and then click OK.

See Also

Recipe 4.14 for installing a Microsoft application using Group Policy; Recipe 4.15 for redeploying a Microsoft application using Group Policy; and MS KB 314934, "Use Group Policy to Remotely Install Software in Windows 2000"