IE8 installation via Group Policy Objects installs even if user has IE8

When I try to deploy IE8 group policy to users that already have IE8 installed the group policy object uninstalls and then re-installs IE8.

Is there anyway to prevent this?

From serverfault Ishmael

• Its kinda an Achilles heel of doing GPO installs in my experience. The GPO looks to see if it installed the program yet or not, it doesn't care if the program is installed already. Its kinda a feature really since it lets you control exactly what application and version is installed.

  Depending on how you handle things deploying IE8 through WSUS may work better since then Windows updates checks and compares the available downloads and only downloads what it needs.

  Mitch : Agreed on WSUS. It handles all Microsoft updates like a champ, including the browsers.

  Ishmael : You can't use the IEAK IE8 with WSUS.

  Shial : Maybe not, but the original question never said IEAK was involved.

  alharaka : How else are you installing customized MSI's for IE8? That is the only way I know. If you are not customizing, why try to even use IEAK? Let WU handle the updates.
  From Shial

• In order to prevent your IE8 policy operating on computers that already have IE8, you need some way of scoping your policy so that such a population is outside of the scope of your policy.

  You can do this by

  • Scoping the policy to a group which you are adding only objects without IE8
  • Use a WMI filter in the policy which checks for an entry that only IE8 machines have, if the item exists fail the policy

  :

  Ishmael : thx I created a WMI filter that only installs IE8 if the user does not have IE8 or greater.
  From edusysadmin