AutoCAD 2018 fails to launch for installing user via SCCM

[Anonymous]

Hello,

My organization is deploying AutoCAD 2018 via SCCM. The software is deployed to device collections where anybody on that device can install it through Software Centre. The user experience in the deployment type in SCCM for the application is Install for System, whether or not a user is logged in. 

We have found that the user who performs the install via Software Centre is unable to launch AutoCAD. When attempting to do so, we can see that acad.exe launches for a second or two in task manager, but there is no other visible sign of the application. The process then exits. There is no error message displayed - and nothing in event viewer. Cannot find any other logs that may reveal more.

If any other user (Admin or Standard) then logs in to the same machine, they can launch the software and it will immediately and correctly begin the first-launch self-repair functionality to set up the users AppData folders and HKCU keys - as expected. Once complete, they can use the software as normal.

We have tried testing with multiple machines and reversing the users who perform the install, and in all cases it is only the user that initiates the installation that AutoCAD will not work for.

We have tried removing all traces of HKCU\Software\Autodesk and the AppData folders for the broken users so that they are in effect completely clean, but it does not make a difference. 

Does anybody have any idea what could be causing this? 

Thanks

[natasha.l · Accepted solution]

Hello @Anonymous, 

Thank you for posting.

Can you verify that this method follows our Deployment Best Practices, it must be pathed to a shared network folder where users have read-write access & a UNC path is strongly recommended. 

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