Finish Installing Sync Icons

[Andy Baerst]

In doing deployment testing with the NextGen client v17.3.6743.121 and Team Site sync takeover we get a followup dialog stating "Finish Installing Sync Icons." This is related to the new icon overlays and requires elevated priviledges to finalize. 

Does anyone know (or read) whether this priviledge level will be a requirement at GA release? The sync engine itself installs in user space. If so, will there be a stand alone install pack for the icons that can be scripted. I'm not actually expecting anyone to have the definative answer at this time, but does anyone know if there's any documentation that covers this issue in an enterprise deployment scenario. 

[#2]

The problem is that Windows has a hard limit of 15 icon overlays and therefore various programs compete for them. In particular, Dropbox is very aggressive in hijacking the icon overlays.

Unfortunately, the registry key for overlays needs administrative privilege to be accessed: hence the "Finish Installing Sync Icons" dialog and the privilege elevation request.

I don't know if this problem ill be solved in the GA release, but I am afraid it can't...

[#3]

I am aware of the 15 icon overlay limit as I've had to "promote" the OneDrive icons in the registry plenty of times to fix the perceived missing icon overlay issue. It's just getting worse as users build a larger collection of storage repositories. I'm a great example. I have OneDrive (Personal, 2 Organizational), Dropbox, Box.com sync clients. I don't see that issue going away anytime soon.

None-the-less, I understand what is driving the issue. I'm trying to anticipate rollout issues when MS flips the takeover bit on the Team Site Sync. In a number of our organizations, all users are Standard users who do not have the rights to elevate the installation. I am trying to avoid a flood of support calls from users reporting the "Finish Installing Icons" dialog and requiring a support session to elevate the install to admin rights.

I haven't fully tested doing a forced push install on all users, even those who already have a OneDrive client installed, with the latest build. Maybe the icons are embedded in the installation and since the install will run a privileged rights, maybe the icons will install and the final dialog will be avoided.

If anyone from MS is watching this thread, what I am really asking for is guidance on this issue. I'm not against having to push the icons, but I just need to know if it's something that I should spend time on or whether it's a non-issue going forward.

Thanks Salvatore. I really do appreciate your contribution to these forums.  

[#4]

My pleasure. :-))

[#5]

Just to circle back to close the loop, there is a solution for this issue.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/3193183/-finish-installing-update-appears-in-the-system-tra...

As an elevated user, run <path_to_onedrive>\OneDrive.exe /permachineupdate

This can be scripted by whichever method you use to push scripts. OneDrive is usually located in %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe.

[#6]

Your computer needs your permission   blah- blah  sync icons.

Does this enable Vladimir Putin or **bleep** Cheney to hack into my computer?

In other words, if I let the computer do whatever it wants to do with sync icons (whatever they are), will it screw up anything or make a big mess in my computer? And if they do, can I undo?

[#7]

Another way to solve the problem and deploy the solution to all users is as follows:

Before you specify the admin account when OneDrive requests it, do a registry key export
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers

Then populate the administrator account that OneDrive requests, and perform a new export of the registry key above, and compare the two exports you should find at least one new key.

In my case, the key
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers \ OneDrive6]
@ = "{9AA2F32D-362A-42D9-9328-24A483E2CCC3}"

Finally there is more to do for GPO to create the key;)

[#8]

Thanks for the hint Andy. I was puzzled why this message shows up only on one PC. That was because it has another cloud drive app installed, whcih uses a few overlays and the limit was also reached. Good it is only one machine..