KB – Enterprise Wipe doesn’t remove all apps

• By -Grischa Ernst

KB – Enterprise Wipe doesn’t remove all apps

• Posted on 2021-11-17
• Posted in KB, Windows Desktop

Issue

When executing an Enterprise Wipe there are one or more apps left on the device.

Root Cause

There two reasons why an app was not uninstalled during an Enterprise Wipe:

1. App has an auto update functionality and has changed the version or installer code changed with the automated update instllation
2. An app gets not uninstalled due to wrong uninstallation command.

Details for Case 1

A good example for this is Google Chrome. If you don’t turn off the auto update function in Google Chrome, Chrome gets updated automatically – even if you haven’t started Chrome.

In the SFD logs (C:\programdata\airwatchmdm\support) you’ll find things like this:

{"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : CheckVersion : 00443 : File version 95.0.4638.54 is not within or equal to 89.0.4389.90 and 89.0.4389.90","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444}
{"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : ValidateFileVersion : 00756 : File found, but version 95.0.4638.54 not withing range 89.0.4389.90 to 89.0.4389.90 or equality check failed. CheckEqualsSpecified: True, CheckEquals: True.","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : EvaluateFile : 00677 : File C:
Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application
chrome.exe returning: False. Result: False","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : EvaluateDir : 00601 : Child chrome.exe evaluation at C:
Program Files\\Google\\Chrome
Application subdirectory failed.","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : EvaluateDir : 00607 : chrome.exe file not found.","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : EvaluateDir : 00610 : %ProgramFiles%\\Google\\Chrome
Application chrome.exe returning result False","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 ManifestPropertyEvaluator : EvaluateDir : 00550 : C:
Program Files (x86)\\Google\\Chrome
Application not found.","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444} {"@t":"2021-10-29T15:24:18.7968980Z","@mt":"0 RuleEvaluator : EvaluateRule : 00052 : Rule string Property1 OR Property2 evaluated to False.","SourceContext":"VMware.Hub.SfdAgent.DeployCmd.Program","ThreadId":7,"ProcessId":9444}

In this case the detection method of the installation was tied to a version. After the Update of Chrome the detection method does not detect the chrome installation anymore. For the Intelligent HUB the App is already uninstalled, so there is no need to run the uninstallation command.

How to fix it?

The fix is quite easy – either use the installer key for the detection, or disable the auto update function of the app.

Details for Case 2

In case you checked the installation detection criteria and is configured properly then check the uninstallation command. We highly recommend to test the uninstallation with the same effort as the installation. This is the only way you can be sure that all apps can get uninstalled after you triggered an Enterprise Wipe.