How to Perform a Silent Installation of Atera Agent

_groovyNerd included in category Deployment

May 22, 2023 May 22, 2023 448 words 2 minutes

Contents

Warning

This article was last updated on May 22, 2023, the content may be out of date.

Introduction

Atera recently implemented a safeguard in their installation process to prevent silent installations—a response to the exploitation of Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools by malicious actors. While the intent behind this safeguard is understandable, it has caused issues for IT professionals who rely on silent installations for managed deployments via tools such as Group Policy Objects (GPO), System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Windows AutoPilot, and others.

Thankfully, there is a workaround to remove this check from the MSI installer, allowing you to once again install Atera silently. In this post, I’ll guide you through the steps to modify the installer and bypass the prompt, restoring the ability to use silent installations.

Problem with Silent Installation

By default, if you try to run the Atera installation with a typical silent install parameter (/qn), the installation will never complete because of the prompt requiring user interaction.

Example command that triggers the prompt:

msiexec /i Atera_Installation.msi /qb

Attempting a silent installation with /qn results in the installation hanging indefinitely. This safeguard may be well-intentioned, but it can be easily bypassed—raising questions about its effectiveness while frustrating existing customers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Bypass the Installation Prompt

1. Installing Orca

Orca, a tool from the Windows SDK, allows us to modify the MSI file and remove the silent install restriction.

Download and install Orca from the Windows SDK.
During setup, choose only the MSI Tool feature and uncheck everything else.
Navigate to the SDK installation directory (default:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\BUILDNUMBER\x86\)
and run Orca-x86_en-us.msi.
This creates a Start Menu shortcut for Orca. The core app is located at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Orca\

2. Modifying the Atera MSI

Launch Orca and open the Atera MSI file via File > Open.

For Version 1 Agent

Yes, the typos in these values are intentional.

Modify the following tables:

Name	Location	Action
InstallationDialogCustomActionBinary	Binary	Delete
PormptInstallationDialog	CustomAction	Delete
PormptInstallationDialog	InstallationExecuteSequence	Delete

For Version 2+ Agent

Modify the following tables:

Name	Location	Action
PromptInstallationDialog	CustomAction	Delete
PromptInstallationDialog	InstallationExecuteSequence	Delete

Once changes are made, save your modified MSI via File > Save As.

3. Running the Modified Installer

Now that the MSI file is patched, you can run a silent install without interruption:

msiexec /i Atera_Installation_Modified.msi /qn

This restores silent installation functionality for use with GPO, SCCM, AutoPilot, and other deployment tools.

Final Summary

While Atera’s decision to prevent silent installations may be driven by security concerns, it introduces unnecessary friction for IT professionals. By modifying the installer, you regain the ability to deploy Atera silently—saving time and avoiding deployment failures.

This workaround restores a critical capability for managed IT environments, enabling seamless installations without user intervention.

Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into MSI modification or explore alternate deployment strategies!