Recently while packaging Skype for enterprise version, I could not disable the Auto Updates and finally found a way to get rid of it.
You can get the latest version of Skype setup in MSI format from the following URL: http://download.skype.com/msi/SkypeSetup.msi or
http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-msi
http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-msi
There is no registry, file which can disable the Auto Update functionality of Skype. I searched in lots of forums and all said that it automatically prompts for update. So finally I decided to look in the MSI and find why and how it is doing it.
What I found was that Skype has an Updater.exe in the installation folder and it also creates a Skype Update service which points to this exe.
I just removed this service and updater.exe file from the skype msi package and it worked.
No need to do anything else. Just do this small part and you are done with removing the Auto Update in Skype.
Edited:
I have been asked and told by a lot of users that this is not working so I am adding a further solution which will definitely work without a doubt. I have mass deployed this and it has worked fine. For all the users who were getting the pop ups, this has fixed it.
You need to create a dummy SetupSkype.exe file and a Skypefix.vbs as below and add it to your INSTALLDIR (C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\) of the package.
SkypeFix.vbs:
'==============================================
dim filesys, oShell
Set filesys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
des1 = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%Temp%")
sup = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%ProgramFiles%")
windir = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%Windir%")
destfile1= des1 & "\SkypeSetup.exe"
sourcefile1= sup & "\Skype\Phone\SkypeSetup.exe"
'Copy files
If filesys.FileExists(sourcefile1) Then
a= filesys.CopyFile (sourcefile1, destfile1,True)
End If
oShell.Run windir & "\System32\Icacls.exe " & destfile1 & " /deny Everyone:D"
'=================================================
After this you need to create an Active Setup registry key which will run this vbs file for every user who logs off and logs in. After this there will be no upgrade issue.
This script works on the fact that SkypeSetup.exe gets downloaded from internet to %temp% folder of user and when it is downloaded, it starts prompting up for upgrade. I have created this file before hand in %temp% folder or replace the already existing one with this dummy file and then put a deny restriction to all the users on this file. So now a file cannot be downloaded to %temp% folder because there is already a file which cannot be deleted/replaced. Hence no more upgrade prompts.
I have created this solution by deeper understanding of Skype setup and upgrade.
Edited:
I have been asked and told by a lot of users that this is not working so I am adding a further solution which will definitely work without a doubt. I have mass deployed this and it has worked fine. For all the users who were getting the pop ups, this has fixed it.
You need to create a dummy SetupSkype.exe file and a Skypefix.vbs as below and add it to your INSTALLDIR (C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\) of the package.
SkypeFix.vbs:
'==============================================
dim filesys, oShell
Set filesys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
des1 = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%Temp%")
sup = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%ProgramFiles%")
windir = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings ("%Windir%")
destfile1= des1 & "\SkypeSetup.exe"
sourcefile1= sup & "\Skype\Phone\SkypeSetup.exe"
'Copy files
If filesys.FileExists(sourcefile1) Then
a= filesys.CopyFile (sourcefile1, destfile1,True)
End If
oShell.Run windir & "\System32\Icacls.exe " & destfile1 & " /deny Everyone:D"
'=================================================
After this you need to create an Active Setup registry key which will run this vbs file for every user who logs off and logs in. After this there will be no upgrade issue.
This script works on the fact that SkypeSetup.exe gets downloaded from internet to %temp% folder of user and when it is downloaded, it starts prompting up for upgrade. I have created this file before hand in %temp% folder or replace the already existing one with this dummy file and then put a deny restriction to all the users on this file. So now a file cannot be downloaded to %temp% folder because there is already a file which cannot be deleted/replaced. Hence no more upgrade prompts.
I have created this solution by deeper understanding of Skype setup and upgrade.
Hope this tip will be helpful to you and let me know if it still does not work.
