Deploying Windows 10 feature updates with Patch Management Solution is failing with exit code 1

Products

• Patch Management Solution

Issue/Introduction

When Deploying Windows 10 feature updates with Patch Management Solution using KB Article 184951 "Deploying Windows 10 feature updates with Patch Management Solution", it is failing with exit code 1:

Below are the errors in SMA logs:

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Command [STDeploy.exe package="C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Patch\staging\deploy-package.zip" sandboxesDir="C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Patch" logsDir="C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\SoftwareManagement\Software Delivery\{3F430D1B-301F-C939-9770-3D2D44F5C596}\cache" patchStore="C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\SoftwareManagement\Software Delivery\{3F430D1B-301F-C939-9770-3D2D44F5C596}\cache"] executed with exit code 5 (0x5)- 'Access is denied'
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Date: 8/24/2021 3:47:16 PM, Tick Count: 10689734, Host Name: xxxx, Size: 721 B
Process: AeXPatchDeployment.exe (7512), Thread ID: 7360, Module: AeXPatchDeployment.exe
Priority: 1, Source: Deployment Engine
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Deployment failed. Status is  1 (0x1) - 'Deployment is generally failed.'
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Date: 8/24/2021 3:47:16 PM, Tick Count: 10689734, Host Name: xxxx, Size: 329 B
Process: AeXPatchDeployment.exe (7512), Thread ID: 7360, Module: AeXPatchDeployment.exe
Priority: 1, Source: Deployment Engine
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Program 'Windows10x64Professional21H1-ENU.bat for Update-Windows10_21H1' completed. Exit code=1. Execution context='Administrator'. RunAs='\'
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Date: 8/24/2021 3:47:16 PM, Tick Count: 10689750, Host Name: xxxx, Size: 373 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (6812), Thread ID: 4076, Module: smfagent.dll
Priority: 4, Source: ProgramExec

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Environment

ITMS 7.x,8.x.

Cause

In this scenario, there was a security policy in the environment to block execution of any .exe or .dll from mounted ISO images. So when the iso image gets mounted to the CD-ROM and tries to execute the setup.exe, it fails with access is denied error.

Resolution

Try the following to validate the issue:

1. Try to execute setup.exe by mounting the ISO image manually on the client machine. It should give a permission error. Please find the below screenshot.



2. Try to extract the ISO image to a local drive and then try to run setup.exe. It should run successfully. 

3. The steps above should be made clear that when any .exe or .dll are executed from a mounted drive in the Customer's environment it gave permission error.

4. Make sure the customer creates an exception to allow execution of .dll or .exe from the mounted drive in their security policy.

5. Post creating this exception, the Windows 10 feature update should successfully be rolled out to all client machines.