You receive an error message when you try to start a Remote Assistance task from the Essentials console of Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 on a Windows Vista-based computer or on a Windows Server 2008-based computer

You are running the Essentials console of Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 on a Windows Vista-based computer or on a Windows Server 2008-based computer. However, when you try to start a Remote Assistance task from the Essentials console, you receive the following error message: Note This problem does not occur when you run the Essentials console on a Windows XP-based computer or on a Windows Server 2003-based computer.

In Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Remote Assistance runs from Help and Support Center (Helpctr.exe). However, in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Remote Assistance runs from the Msra.exe program. Therefore, the Remote Assistance task cannot find the Helpctr.exe program in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008.

To resolve this problem, apply this update on each server that hosts a System Center Essentials Server role. Apply this update only if you want to use the Essentials console on Windows Vista-based computers or on Windows Server 2008-based computers.

After you apply this update, the Remote Assistance task calls the correct command-line for the operating system in which the Essentials console is running.

Update information

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the System Center Essentials 2007 MP.msi package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8F74CC26-5E0E-42F1-96CC-7AE064099190)

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Prerequisites

To apply this update, you must have System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 installed on the computer.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this update.

Update replacement information

This update does not replace any other updates.

File information

The English version of this update has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Known issues

The following are some known issues that may occur when you use the Remote Assistance task after the update is applied.

Issue 1

If you try to start the Remote Assistance task from a Windows XP-based or Windows Server 2003-based computer that is the expert side to a Windows Vista-based or Windows Server 2008-based computer that is the novice side, you receive the following error message: To work around this issue, start the Remote Assistance task from a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.

Issue 2

When you try to start the Remote Assistance task, the following event is logged:

Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-RemoteAssistance/Admin
Source: Microsoft-Windows-RemoteAssistance
Event ID: 9
Level: Error
Keywords:
User: Domain\Username
Computer: Name_of_the_Windows Vista/Server 2008_computer
Description:
There was a problem interacting with COM object 833E4010-AFF7-4AC3-AAC2-9F24C1457BCE. An outdated version might be installed, or the component might not be installed at all.

To offer remote assistance to a remote computer, you must belong to the Offer Remote Assistance group on the remote computer. To resolve this issue, add your account to this group.

Issue 3

When you try to offer Remote Assistance from a Windows Server 2008-based computer, you may receive the following error message: This issue occurs because the Remote Assistance feature is not installed on your Windows Server 2008-based computer. To resolve this issue, enable the Remote Assistance feature by using the Add Features Wizard in Server Manager.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: