Deploy Adobe Reader XI with SCCM 2012 R2

To deploy Adobe Reader with SCCM 2012 you can download and extract the latest Adobe Reader .EXE to get to the system files ( .msi, .ini, .msp etc..) using the method below.

From the command prompt: AdbeRdr11004_en_US.exe -nos_ne

The following screen will appear.. Adobe Reader XI (11.0.04) – Setup

In this case the Adobe Reader EXE (AdbeRdr11007_en_US.exe)  was extracted on a Windows 7 PC and the extracted files can be found in C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Setup.

The sub-directory under Setup in my case was {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AB0000000001} which is also the GUID or Product ID for this particular MSI.

Now that the Updated Adobe Reader Files are extracted, you can create a SCCM 2012 Adobe Reader Application or create a Package to deploy the Adobe Reader .MSP directly.

 The extracted directory name in this case will also be the uninstall GUID (shown below) when you create your Adobe Reader 11.0.07 application with Configuration Manager 2012.

The extracted Adobe Reader files are shown below.

Create a MST transform

1. Download Adobe Customization Wizard XI from here.
2. Install the application and launch it when done.
3. Click on File -> Copy Package.
4. Enter the information as in the picture below:

5. In the left pane on the Personalization Options, check EULA Option: Suppress display of End User License Agreement (EULA).

6.  On the Installation Options page, select Make Reader the default PDF Viewer, Silently (no interface) and Suppress reboot.

7. On the Shortcuts page, remove Adobe Reader XI under Desktop.

8. On the Security page under Protected View, select All files. Under Enhanced Security Settings, select Enable & Lock for both Standalone and Browser. Under Privileged Locations, add the network shares your company stores common data. You can also add C:\ and other local drives. Check the box next to Prevent end user from adding trusted hosts. See the picture below for how I’d recommend to tighten the security in Adobe Reader. Remember though, these security settings may not apply in your environment. Perform thorough tests before deploying the application.

9. On the Online Services and Features page, check the following boxes:

• Disable product updates
• In Adobe Reader, disable Help > Purchase Adobe Acrobat
• Disable Product Improvement Program
• Disable Viewing of PDF with Ads for Adobe PDF
• Disable all Adobe online services based workflows and entry points

10. Click File -> Save Package.

When creating your package just select the Setup.exe file which will take care of the rest, the only issue I had so far is that it wouldn't uninstall Adobe Reader X, but with the use of a batch file I was able to accomplish this.