Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Install and Uninstall (PowerShell)

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This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform silent or interactive installs and uninstalls of the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) using the Powershell App Deployment Toolkit. The PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit can be used to replace your WiseScript, VBScript and Batch wrapper scripts with one versatile, re-usable and extensible tool. This tool is an absolute must for Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager (MEMCM) / (SCCM) Administrators or anyone who is responsible for packaging and deploying software.

How to Install Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Using the PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit

  1. Download the Powershell App Deployment Toolkit 3.8.4:
  2. Download the zip file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  3. Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  4. Enter the following command to remove the Zone.Identifier:
    • Unblock-File -Path C:\Downloads\PSAppDeployToolkit_v3.8.4.zip
  5. Enter the following command to extract the contents of the zip file:
    • Expand-Archive -Path C:\Downloads\PSAppDeployToolkit_v3.8.4.zip -DestinationPath C:\Downloads\PADT
  6. Enter the following commands to copy the AppDeployToolkit & Files folders to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA”:
    • Copy-Item -Path "C:\Downloads\PADT\Toolkit\AppDeployToolkit" -Destination "C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA\AppDeployToolkit" -Recurse
    • Copy-Item -Path "C:\Downloads\PADT\Toolkit\Files" -Destination "C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA\Files"

You should now see the AppDeploymentToolkit folder with files & the empty Files folder at “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA”

Next we’ll want to download & extract the installation files for the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA).

  • Navigate to: https://aka.ms/SaRANetworkInstallFiles
  • Download & Extract the SaRA_x_y_z.zip to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  • Copy the contents of the extracted folder to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA\Files\”
    • You should now see a similar structure inside the Files directory
      • Application Files
      • Microsoft.Sara.application
      • Microsoft.Sara.exe
      • SaraSetup.exe
  • Copy the PowerShell script below to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA“ & name it Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1

Note: If utilizing the uninstall portion of the PowerShell script, remember it must be run as the User and will NOT work if trying to run as the SYSTEM account. This is a limitation of the ClickOnce Applications.

<#
.SYNOPSIS
	This script performs the installation or uninstallation of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA).
	# LICENSE #
	PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit - Provides a set of functions to perform common application deployment tasks on Windows.
	Copyright (C) 2017 - Sean Lillis, Dan Cunningham, Muhammad Mashwani, Aman Motazedian.
	This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
	You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
.DESCRIPTION
	The script is provided as a template to perform an install or uninstall of an application(s).
	The script either performs an "Install" deployment type or an "Uninstall" deployment type.
	The install deployment type is broken down into 3 main sections/phases: Pre-Install, Install, and Post-Install.
	The script dot-sources the AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1 script which contains the logic and functions required to install or uninstall an application.
.PARAMETER DeploymentType
	The type of deployment to perform. Default is: Install.
.PARAMETER DeployMode
	Specifies whether the installation should be run in Interactive, Silent, or NonInteractive mode. Default is: Interactive. Options: Interactive = Shows dialogs, Silent = No dialogs, NonInteractive = Very silent, i.e. no blocking apps. NonInteractive mode is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not user interactive.
.PARAMETER AllowRebootPassThru
	Allows the 3010 return code (requires restart) to be passed back to the parent process (e.g. SCCM) if detected from an installation. If 3010 is passed back to SCCM, a reboot prompt will be triggered.
.PARAMETER TerminalServerMode
	Changes to "user install mode" and back to "user execute mode" for installing/uninstalling applications for Remote Destkop Session Hosts/Citrix servers.
.PARAMETER DisableLogging
	Disables logging to file for the script. Default is: $false.
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Silent"
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Interactive"
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Silent"
.EXAMPLE
    PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Interactive"
.NOTES
	Toolkit Exit Code Ranges:
	60000 - 68999: Reserved for built-in exit codes in Deploy-Application.ps1, Deploy-Application.exe, and AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1
	69000 - 69999: Recommended for user customized exit codes in Deploy-Application.ps1
	70000 - 79999: Recommended for user customized exit codes in AppDeployToolkitExtensions.ps1
.LINK
	http://psappdeploytoolkit.com
#>
[CmdletBinding()]
Param (
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[ValidateSet('Install','Uninstall','Repair')]
	[string]$DeploymentType = 'Install',
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[ValidateSet('Interactive','Silent','NonInteractive')]
	[string]$DeployMode = 'Interactive',
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[switch]$AllowRebootPassThru = $false,
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[switch]$TerminalServerMode = $false,
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[switch]$DisableLogging = $false
)

Try {
	## Set the script execution policy for this process
	Try { Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy 'ByPass' -Scope 'Process' -Force -ErrorAction 'Stop' } Catch {}

	##*===============================================
	##* VARIABLE DECLARATION
	##*===============================================
	## Variables: Application
	[string]$appVendor = 'Microsoft Corporation'
	[string]$appName = 'Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant'
	[string]$appVersion = ''
	[string]$appArch = ''
	[string]$appLang = ''
	[string]$appRevision = ''
	[string]$appScriptVersion = '1.0.0'
	[string]$appScriptDate = 'XX/XX/20XX'
	[string]$appScriptAuthor = 'Jason Bergner'
	##*===============================================
	## Variables: Install Titles (Only set here to override defaults set by the toolkit)
	[string]$installName = ''
	[string]$installTitle = 'Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)'

	##* Do not modify section below
	#region DoNotModify

	## Variables: Exit Code
	[int32]$mainExitCode = 0

	## Variables: Script
	[string]$deployAppScriptFriendlyName = 'Deploy Application'
	[version]$deployAppScriptVersion = [version]'3.8.4'
	[string]$deployAppScriptDate = '26/01/2021'
	[hashtable]$deployAppScriptParameters = $psBoundParameters

	## Variables: Environment
	If (Test-Path -LiteralPath 'variable:HostInvocation') { $InvocationInfo = $HostInvocation } Else { $InvocationInfo = $MyInvocation }
	[string]$scriptDirectory = Split-Path -Path $InvocationInfo.MyCommand.Definition -Parent

	## Dot source the required App Deploy Toolkit Functions
	Try {
		[string]$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain = "$scriptDirectory\AppDeployToolkit\AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1"
		If (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain -PathType 'Leaf')) { Throw "Module does not exist at the specified location [$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain]." }
		If ($DisableLogging) { . $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain -DisableLogging } Else { . $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain }
	}
	Catch {
		If ($mainExitCode -eq 0){ [int32]$mainExitCode = 60008 }
		Write-Error -Message "Module [$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain] failed to load: `n$($_.Exception.Message)`n `n$($_.InvocationInfo.PositionMessage)" -ErrorAction 'Continue'
		## Exit the script, returning the exit code to SCCM
		If (Test-Path -LiteralPath 'variable:HostInvocation') { $script:ExitCode = $mainExitCode; Exit } Else { Exit $mainExitCode }
	}

	#endregion
	##* Do not modify section above
	##*===============================================
	##* END VARIABLE DECLARATION
	##*===============================================

	If ($deploymentType -ine 'Uninstall' -and $deploymentType -ine 'Repair') {
		##*===============================================
		##* PRE-INSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Installation'

		## Show Welcome Message, Close Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant With a 60 Second Countdown Before Automatically Closing
		Show-InstallationWelcome -CloseApps 'Microsoft.Sara' -CloseAppsCountdown 60

        ## Show Progress Message (With a Message to Indicate the Application is Being Uninstalled)
        Show-InstallationProgress -StatusMessage "Removing Any Existing Version of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA). Please Wait..."

        ## Removing Any Existing Version of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) - (Running this step as SYSTEM account will NOT work - You Must Run As the Logged On User)
        $SaRA = Get-ChildItem "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" | ForEach { Get-ItemProperty $_.PSPath } | ? { $_ -match "Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant" } | Select UninstallString

        If ($SaRA) {
        $SaRA = $SaRA.UninstallString
        $SaRA = $SaRA.Trim()

        $Wshell = New-Object -ComObject Wscript.Shell;
        $Wshell.run($SaRA)
        $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')
        While (-not $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')) 
        {
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
        $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')
        }

        $Wshell.SendKeys('+{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('+{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('{DOWN}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('~')
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 20
        }
  
		##*===============================================
		##* INSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Installation'

        ## Install Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)
        $ExePath = Get-ChildItem -Path "$dirFiles" -Include SaraSetup.exe -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        If($ExePath.Exists)
        {
        Write-Log -Message "Found $($ExePath.FullName), now attempting to install $installTitle."
        Show-InstallationProgress "Installing Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA). This may take some time. Please wait..."
        Execute-ProcessAsUser -Path "$ExePath" -Parameters "/q" -Wait
        Get-Process -Name "SaraSetup" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Wait-Process
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 10

        ## Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Fails to Launch "Fix" (Remove Temp Deployment Folder)
        $Users = Get-ChildItem C:\Users
        foreach ($user in $Users){

        $FolderPath = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Local\Temp\Deployment"
        If (Test-Path $FolderPath) {
        Remove-Item $FolderPath -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
        }
        }
        }

		##*===============================================
		##* POST-INSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Post-Installation'

	}
	ElseIf ($deploymentType -ieq 'Uninstall')
	{
		##*===============================================
		##* PRE-UNINSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Uninstallation'

		## Show Welcome Message, Close Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant With a 60 Second Countdown Before Automatically Closing
		Show-InstallationWelcome -CloseApps 'Microsoft.Sara' -CloseAppsCountdown 60

        ## Show Progress Message (With a Message to Indicate the Application is Being Uninstalled)
        Show-InstallationProgress -StatusMessage "Uninstalling the $installTitle. Please Wait..."

		##*===============================================
		##* UNINSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Uninstallation'

        ## Uninstall Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) - (Running this step as SYSTEM account will NOT work - You Must Run As the Logged On User)
        $SaRA = Get-ChildItem "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" | ForEach { Get-ItemProperty $_.PSPath } | ? { $_ -match "Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant" } | Select UninstallString

        If ($SaRA) {
        $SaRA = $SaRA.UninstallString
        $SaRA = $SaRA.Trim()

        $Wshell = New-Object -ComObject Wscript.Shell;
        $Wshell.run($SaRA)
        $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')
        While (-not $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')) 
        {
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
        $Wshell.AppActivate('Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Maintenance')
        }

        $Wshell.SendKeys('+{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('+{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('{DOWN}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('{TAB}')
        $Wshell.Sendkeys('~')
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 20
        }

		##*===============================================
		##* POST-UNINSTALLATION
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Post-Uninstallation'


	}
	ElseIf ($deploymentType -ieq 'Repair')
	{
		##*===============================================
		##* PRE-REPAIR
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Repair'


		##*===============================================
		##* REPAIR
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Repair'


		##*===============================================
		##* POST-REPAIR
		##*===============================================
		[string]$installPhase = 'Post-Repair'


    }
	##*===============================================
	##* END SCRIPT BODY
	##*===============================================

	## Call the Exit-Script function to perform final cleanup operations
	Exit-Script -ExitCode $mainExitCode
}
Catch {
	[int32]$mainExitCode = 60001
	[string]$mainErrorMessage = "$(Resolve-Error)"
	Write-Log -Message $mainErrorMessage -Severity 3 -Source $deployAppScriptFriendlyName
	Show-DialogBox -Text $mainErrorMessage -Icon 'Stop'
	Exit-Script -ExitCode $mainExitCode
}

Ok, all the hard work is done and now you can install or uninstall the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) using one single PowerShell script. Simply change the DeploymentType parameter to install or uninstall. Logging functionality is built-in automatically and you can view the log files under “C:\Windows\Logs\Software”.

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) NonInteractive Install (PowerShell)

NonInteractive means Very Silent, i.e. no blocking apps. This is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not running in the user session and it is not possible for anyone to provide input using a mouse or keyboard.

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA”
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Silent Install (PowerShell)

Silent means no dialogs (progress and balloon tip notifications are suppressed).

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA“
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Silent"

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Interactive Install (PowerShell)

Interactive means the install will show dialogs including progress and balloon tip notifications.

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA”
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Interactive"

How to Uninstall Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Using the PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit

Note: If utilizing the uninstall portion of the PowerShell script, remember it must be run as the User and will NOT work if trying to run as the SYSTEM account. This is a limitation of the ClickOnce Applications.

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) NonInteractive Uninstall (PowerShell)

NonInteractive means Very Silent, i.e. no blocking apps. This is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not running in the user session and it is not possible for anyone to provide input using a mouse or keyboard.

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA“
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Silent Uninstall (PowerShell)

Silent means no dialogs (progress and balloon tip notifications are suppressed).

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA“
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Silent"

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Interactive Uninstall (PowerShell)

Interactive means the install will show dialogs including progress and balloon tip notifications.

  • Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
  • Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA“
    • PS C:\Downloads\Microsoft_SaRA>
  • Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-Microsoft_SaRA.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Interactive"

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.