SCCM 1702 introduce a new feature to check and close executable files before application installation. This could be useful if you need to close a certain process before an SCCM application installation. One example would be some Adobe products that need Internet Explorer to be closed before installation. Before 1702 there was no way to do this using a built-in option in SCCM. A popular User Voice item was delivered as a pre-release feature in SCCM 1702 which is called SCCM install behavior for applications.

We will show you how to enable and configure the Install Behavior tab in an application deployment type and show you the different behaviors based on the deployment properties.

Enable SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

Before you can use the Install Behavior feature, you must enable it as it’s still a pre-release feature:

  • In the SCCM Console, go to Administration \ Site Configuration \ Sites
  • Click on the Hierarchy settings on the top ribbon
  • Ensure that the Consent to use pre-release feature checkbox is checked

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • Go to Administration \ Updates and Servicing \ Features
  • Right-click Pre-Release Install Behavior for applications
  • Select Turn On

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • On the warning dialog, click Yes

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • Close your SCCM console and reopen it
  • Verify that you have the Install Behavior tab in any application deployment type

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

Create a Check for Running Executable Files Rule

For our post, we will deploy 7zip to a computer and we’ll ask to check if notepad.exe is running before installing.

  • Right-click an application deployment type and select Properties
  • Click the new Install Behavior tab
  • Click Add
  • Enter your Executable File Name and Display Name – In our case notepad.exe / Notepad

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • Click Ok and close the deployment type properties

Create a Deployment – Available vs Required

Depending on the purpose of the deployment, the user experience will be different:

Available

We will now deploy 7zip to one computer as Available. When deploying as Available, there are no new option at deployment creation.

  • On our test computer, Notepad is running
  • In Software Center, we launch the 7zip installation by clicking Install

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • The application failed to install and the user is prompted to close the running executable you specified (in Install Behavior) before it can proceed with the installation

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • Close Notepad and rerun the installation from the Software Center. The application installs correctly

Required Deployment

We will now create the same deployment but with a Required assignment

  • Create a new Required deployment, you’ll notice a new checkbox in the Deployment Settings pane

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • If Automatically close any running executables you specified on the install behavior tab of the deployment type properties dialog box is selected, a more intrusive notification experience is provided to inform the user, and the specified executable files will be closed automatically at the deadline.
  • One important thing to mention is that the User Experience / User Notification is important here. If you select Hide Software Center and all notifications, the notification will not be shown and the running application will be closed without notice and user could lose unsaved data.

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • For our post, we select Display in Software Center and show all notification

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • The user receives this notification before the deadline and can select to close the applications using 3 options :

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

  • Right now:  Notepad is closed and the application installs (7zip)
  • Outside my business hours: Notepad will close outside business hour (following Business hour logic)
  • Snooze and remind me: User will be reminded at a later time
  • If the user does nothing, at the deadline, Notepad will close automatically without other notice and the application (7zip) will install. The Software Center notification will stay on the user screen (!). This will probably be fixed in an upcoming release.

Monitoring

When monitoring your deployment using Install Behavior feature:

  • In the SCCM Console, Monitoring \ Deployments
  • You’ll find a new error when a process prevents the installation: One or more process are running and prevent enforcement action.

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

Bonus Tips

If you specify more than one application in Install Behavior, the warning will show all applications that need to be closed. The applications that are not running at deployment time will not be displayed.

SCCM Install Behavior for Applications

Comments (20)

Rimo

11.21.2019 AT 08:47 PM
Hi All, I have question for you, how to ENABLE AND CONFIGURE SCCM INSTALL BEHAVIOR FOR APPLICATIONS” on SCCM 1906, im try to find on features but i didn't see the package, please help ..

Pieter Pessemier

10.17.2019 AT 03:13 AM
You might want to add that "show notifications for new deployments" has to be set to YES under the 'Computer Agent' node of your client settings or you will receive error code 0x87D00443 instead of this nice little notification.

Milk

06.20.2019 AT 09:51 AM
I see this only shows up with required deployments. Is there a way to make it work with self-service available installs? ie - endnote needs to close word before it installs. it fails even though it's defined in the Install Behavior section. Am I forced to use third party stuff like psappdeploy then? thanks

Aaron Smith

01.04.2019 AT 07:34 AM
I am running SCCM 1802 and am having great fun and games trying to get this working, wanted to use it to give the users an ability to defer installing the latest version of Chrome if they are currently using it... Alas, if i set this up as a required installation, made available immediately with a deadline of 1300 today, it just appears in Software Center as "scheduled for installation after 1300"... if i change the deadline to "as as soon after the deadline as possible" then it just tries to install and fails with an error code of 0x87D00443, which google seems to indicate is "the application in install behavior is running" but i dont get a prompt of any soft... has anyone got this working as expected.

Pieter Pessemier

10.17.2019 AT 03:16 AM
Look at my comment above. "show notifications for new deployments" has to be set to YES under the 'Computer Agent' node of your client settings. 😉

jake

11.27.2018 AT 11:16 PM
hi, I folowed the steps but this particular is not working for me Right now: Notepad is closed and the application installs (7zip). When I select right now, i get a pop up saying installation could not be completed becasue these applications were running - notepad. When i select the deployment dateline as as soon as possible, then notepad automatically closes and installation gets installed successfully. But when i set the dateline at a later time/date, i get above issue where installation does not proceed, cause the aplication did not close automatically. any idea why? Thanks!

Russell Johnson

09.06.2018 AT 07:21 PM
This doesn't work when the executable is running multiple times like chrome.exe. It only kills one instance. It needs to kill all instances like "taskkill" does.

Francisco Perez

02.01.2018 AT 06:26 AM
Do you know if "install behavior" will run on UNINSTALLATION deployments ???

Christian

09.21.2017 AT 03:35 AM
Thanks for this nice HowTo! I have one question: Do the tasks also get checked on a un-installation?

frank

09.14.2017 AT 04:39 PM
Hi Great post, but we noticed that for some application types (appx, appxbundle) there is no Install Behavour tab?

James

06.07.2017 AT 03:55 PM
Hello, We're currently running 1702 in production and have been since it was released. At that time our environment was small and we could risk it. I've now started to work on more advanced projects and wanted to give this a try. I confirmed that "Consent to use pre-release features" was checked. I'm logged into the server using our designated SC Admin account with full rights to the server, environment, and SQL. This account is also has the "Full Administrator" role assigned. I've also ran the console as an admin. I'm unable to turn on the Install Behavior for applications pre release feature. I click on turn on. I receive the confirmation box. After clicking yes I receive another box stating "You do not have permissions to enable features. " I'm unable to resolve this issue as it appears no one has seen it before. Or the solution is so easy no one has bothered posting regarding it. Have you seen it?

Rainer

05.04.2017 AT 10:25 AM
Great guide! Thank you very much.

Matt

04.27.2017 AT 09:51 AM
I'm currently running 1702, with this feature enabled. During an available install, if the configured Install Behavior item (Outlook.exe) when a user clicks on Install, it fails with a non-descript error# 0X87D00443 (2016410557). This does not match the behavior you're describing. Is there an additional step I need to do to make the failure message user-friendly, as you describe? Required installs behave properly.

Dave

07.12.2017 AT 03:51 AM
Me too. No user prompt to close applications. Notifications are enabled.

Eric

08.15.2017 AT 06:07 AM
I guess this is depending on what kind of deplyoment you choosed. In my case, it was not showing a prompt when running a machine-based deployment. The prompt may runs on a user-level that is the only thing I could imagine since I was running into the same issue.

Ran

04.13.2017 AT 02:50 AM
Thank You Great guide