If you are wanting to distribute .exe files, you can either create a MSI for it, as suggested by mark, using something like Orca, of you can install the EXEs dirrectly, however, you get less manageability. To do this you need to create a ZAP file accompaniment.
Taken from the MSDN on ZAP File Creation/Use
Creating .ZAP Files
Applications that do not use the .msi file format for the Windows Installer Service can be set up for distribution by creating a text file that has a .zap file extension. This method is not as flexible as .msi package files. If you have many applications that do not contain native Windows Installer packages, and you know that your organization plans to discontinue these applications, you can create software installation settings (.zap) files for the installation executable (such as Setup.exe or install.exe) files. Additionally, if you use custom applications that do not have Windows Installer support, but you plan to use them in the long term, .zap files might be your only choice. When you create .zap files, you do not benefit from the capabilities of Windows Installer. By creating .zap files, you wrap 32-bit or 64-bit Setup.exe files into a .zap file format that the software installation extension of Group Policy recognizes. This method allows you to publish the applications for users to install by using Add or Remove Programs.
Because these applications do not use Windows Installer setup programs, they do not do the following:
• Use elevated permissions for installation.
• Install a feature on the first use of the feature.
• Roll back an unsuccessful operation, such as install, modify, repair, or removal.
• Detect a broken state and automatically repair it.
• Implement customized installations (transforms).
Suggestions for Working with .zap Files
When you work with .zap files, consider the following:
• While applications that are installed by using .zap files run their original setup programs, they do not run with the elevated permissions that Windows Installer packages have. If installing the application requires administrative permissions, only users who have those permissions can install it.
• Because .zap files are typically created by using text editors, the files might have a .zap.txt file name extension. Make sure that the file name extension of a .zap file is only .zap (without the .txt extension). Also, make sure that any software installation file that you distribute by using GPOs does not end in .txt.
• If you have 64-bit clients, test 32-bit .zap applications to verify that you can install and run them on 64-bit clients. This is important because more .zap applications fail on 64-bit clients than on 32-bit clients.
• Unless you change the default behavior, 32-bit .zap applications are deployed so that they are not listed in Add or Remove Programs on 64-bit clients.
After Creating .zap Files
After you create a .zap file, copy it to the designated shared folders of the software distribution point servers. You can then use the software installation extension of Group Policy to publish the application in Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel. This makes the application readily available to users. You cannot customize .zap files by using transforms.
Creating a .zap File Example
The software administrators of the organization have identified a group of users who use an Excel template that is only compatible with Microsoft® Excel 97. Although all other users in the organization plan to upgrade to Microsoft® Office XP, this group of users must continue using Excel 97 until the end of this particular project. Excel 97 does not include a native .msi package file. After this project is completed, this organization has no further need for Excel 97.
To make sure that these users have Excel 97, the administrator performed the following tasks:
1.
Wrapped the setup program of Excel 97 into a .zap file.
2.
Copied it to the designated software distribution point servers.
3.
Created a GPO and published the software to that particular group of users.
The users who need Excel 97 can now go to Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel, and then download the software from a published list of applications.
To publish Excel 97 by using the existing Excel 97 setup program, only the three path-information lines are needed in a .zap file. The following example represents the .zap file that the software administrator created for the purpose of deploying Excel 97 to the users on this project.
Path information
Code:
<Application>
FriendlyName = " Microsoft Excel 97"
SetupCommand="" \\server\share\Excel 97\setup.exe""
The path and the name of the .exe file are enclosed in quotation marks in the Application section. If there are no command-line arguments, the .exe file path and name must be enclosed in two sets of quotation marks. For
example:
Absolute path
Code:
SetupCommand=" \\" /argument
SetupCommand="" \\""
Relative path
Code:
SetupCommand="" /argument
SetupCommand=""""
Note
• When you create your own .zap file, modify the information in the preceding sample .zap file according to the application that you are managing and the location of your software distribution point.
sourced :
Packing SOftware for Software Distribution with Group Policy
Hope this Helps.
Neil J Cotton
njc Information Systems
Systems Consultant
