Virtualized Internet Explorer fails on device with AppSense Environment Manager

  • 7015068
  • 16-May-2014
  • 21-May-2014

Environment

Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization 10.1

Situation

Internet Explorer 8 virtual has been built from template with ZAV 10.1 on Windows XP.
The device, where the Internet Explorer 8 virtual application is getting launched, is equipped with AppSense Environment Manager.

The virtual application crashes on first launch and on any exit.

Resolution

Rebuild the virtual app so that it appears to Windows as if iexplore.exe is launched from a different folder than:
  • 64 Bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\
  • 32 Bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\

e.g. to C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer ZAV\ and exclude this path in the AppSense Environment Manager configuration.

Cause

By default when the virtual Internet Explorer 8 application, created from template, is getting launched, it appears to Windows as if iexplore.exe is launched from the "normal" Internet Explorer path:
  • 64 Bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\
  • 32 Bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\
AppSense Environment Manager tries to control the virtual application launch.

Additional Information

 In this case it is not possible to exclude the default Internet Explorer path from being managed by the AppSense application since a newer Internet Explorer version is still locally installed, usable by the user and actually should be controlled by the AppSense product.

When changing the path for the executable, also the related references in the virtual registry of the virtual application should be changed e.g. from ...\Internet Explorer\... to ...\Internet Explorer ZAV\... .