Hi

Ive signed up to the latest trial of Intune to test on Windows 8 PCs and slates.

I have run in to an issue with remote assistnace.  Looks like its not supported any more in Windows 8?  See screenshots below, is this the case?

I am running Windows 8 Enterprise.  

See

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj662694.aspx

Is this the case?

Hi Spuddist,

Yes, that information is correct.  Windows Intune Remote assistance is not supported on Windows 8 machines. 

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

Hi Spuddist,

Yes, that information is correct.  Windows Intune Remote assistance is not supported on Windows 8 machines. 

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

• Marked as answer by Jon LynnMicrosoft employee, Moderator Wednesday, January 16, 2013 6:12 PM

Hi Jon,

The release notes also indicate that alerting and monitoring do not work on Windows 8 PCs - does this mean that if a PC is infected with malware then an alert will not be raised on the Intune admin interface (and by e-mail to an admin if so configured)?

Thanks.

Hi Jon,

The release notes also indicate that alerting and monitoring do not work on Windows 8 PCs - does this mean that if a PC is infected with malware then an alert will not be raised on the Intune admin interface (and by e-mail to an admin if so configured)?

Thanks.

Hi NJC1,

No, only Operating System Alerts are not supported, like Disk Space alerts, etc.  Alerts for Anti-Malware and Policy are supported on Windows 8.

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

Hi Jon,

The release notes also indicate that alerting and monitoring do not work on Windows 8 PCs - does this mean that if a PC is infected with malware then an alert will not be raised on the Intune admin interface (and by e-mail to an admin if so configured)?

Thanks.

Hi NJC1,

No, only Operating System Alerts are not supported, like Disk Space alerts, etc.  Alerts for Anti-Malware and Policy are supported on Windows 8.

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

• Edited by Jon LynnMicrosoft employee, Moderator Wednesday, January 09, 2013 6:03 PM

Hi Jon

If remote assistance isn't supported anymore.  Whats the best option now?

Hi Spuddist,

Just to be clear, this only applies to the Windows 8 Operating System.  You can still use remote assistance on other operating systems like Windows 7/Vista and XP.

There are lots of 3rd party remote assistance tools available that you can use.

Thanks,

Jon L. -MSFT

Is remote assistance support planned for Windows 8? I'm looking at deploying clients withing the next few months.

So Microsoft are now saying I have to tell my clients who are using Intune for us to manage their desktop environments that they can not upgrade to Windows 8 because Microsoft have dropped the Remote Assistance feature for Windows 8.

If they do want to move to Windows 8 they we will have to purchase another 3rd party tool.  

Remote Assistance is one of the major selling points for Intune.  This seems crazy to me that Microsoft has just dropped this feature out of the blue.  It now puts me as a MS partner in a difficult position as I have to explain this to my Intune clients.  It also scary that Microsoft can remove major feature of a cloud product with out any notice.  This could now effect other conversions around other Microsoft products that we are having with our Intune clients.

I would be keen to feed this back to Microsoft in more detail.

If anybody else on this forum agrees with the above please add your thoughts as Microsoft might listen and enable this feature again.

Thanks

Okay so Windows 8 has its own built in Windows remote assistance.  See below,

So why couldnt MS ingrate this in to the Windows Intune Centre on the desktop?  It will be a nightmare explaining to users how to get to Windows Remote assistance tool.

It was nice an easy in the Intune Centre.  MS have taken a major step backwards here which do not help the user or the servicedesk.

I now need to add the short cut to the desktop for all users.  Crazy stuff.  I hope in the next realse MS will add it back in to the Intune Centre.

Sorry Im doing my best not to get angry about this!

http://www.advicehow.com/creating-remote-assistance-invitation-file-in-microsoft-windows-8/ 

How to Create Remote Assistance Invitation File?

In order to create Remote Assistance invitation file that can be sent to the administrators or helpdesk team via LAN, users must follow the steps given below:

1. Log on to Windows 8 computer.
2. Assuming that the computer has been configured to display classic start menu, click Start and from the available menu click Control Panel.
3. On the opened window under System and Security category click to select Find and fix problems sub category.
4. On Troubleshoot computer problems window from the left pane click to select Get help from a friend.
5. On the next window click to select Invite someone to help you option.
6. On the opened Windows Remote Assistance box click Save this invitation as a fileoption.
   

   Save File

7. On Save As box type in the name of the invitation file in File name field and browse for the location from where this saved file can easily be located by remote helper. Alternatively, Save button can also be clicked without making any changes to save the file with the default Invitation name and at defaultDocuments location.
8. This saved Invitation file must be sent to the helper via LAN.
9. Once done, on the opened box update the helper with the displayed password that he must type in while creating Remote Assistancesession.
   

   Password

10. After the helper has assisted successfully, Remote Assistance session can be terminated by closing the opened boxes and Windows.

If anybody else on this forum agrees with the above please add your thoughts as Microsoft might listen and enable this feature again.

Thanks

I agree with you. We are using Remote Assistance as an efficient way to help our retailers. If this option is no longer available for Windows 8, we will not upgrade our PC's from Windows 7 to 8, neither install Windows 8 on new devices.

Dirk

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately, the remote assistance tools available in Windows Intune did not provide the quality experience we want for our customers using Windows 8.   We do hope to bring it back in a future release of the service and we appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately, the remote assistance tools available in Windows Intune did not provide the quality experience we want for our customers using Windows 8.   We do hope to bring it back in a future release of the service and we appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

• Marked as answer by Jon LynnMicrosoft employee, Moderator Wednesday, January 16, 2013 6:12 PM

Hi Jon,

Is there an update on when existing customers will be upgraded to the latest release? I'd read somewhere that it would be on or around 13/01/2013.

Thanks.

Hi Jon,

Is there an update on when existing customers will be upgraded to the latest release? I'd read somewhere that it would be on or around 13/01/2013.

Thanks.

Hi,

Please see our latest blog post which talks about the Windows Intune Release and existing customers:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsintune/archive/2013/01/15/upgrading-to-the-latest-windows-intune-release.aspx

Thanks,

Jon L. - MSFT

Thanks Jon.

Hi,

the Windows8 Remote Assistant found under c:\windows\system32 and called msra.exe . I have fixed this on my Startscreen

Stat this Programm .... enjoy

Excellent, the solution I was searching for. I don't know  why they hid it so deep. After all Windows 8 is really Windows 7 with the touch/app interface. Good tracking, you're the man.

I agree, leaving this option out without telling is an absolute no-go! It's not the only important feature in Intune, but one of them. I thought I might use Intune in future for all my customers I administrate, but now I have to go again the typical way: using "thousands" of 3rd party programs.

These are hard times for a MS Partner!

Agreed, I second everything Thomas said.  I'm testing out Intune right now and I'm pretty disappointed to find that remote assistance is not available at all for Windows 8.  This guy Jon sounds like he came from Apple talking about quality of the experience.  It's remote support, let us techs determine the quality of the experience.  

The lack of Intune Remote Assistance for Windows 8 is really a bad bad thing to embrace this solution.  I really don't understand how Microsoft could leave an so important feature out of Windows 8.  Time is running and Windows 8 is still a bad option for Enterprises and Professionals. This could lead Microsoft to a bad position in the Enterprise market, the one who gave her so much money.  This is unbelievable!

I was trying Windows Intune and, when I knew that there is no Remote Assistance support even if you are using Windows 8 to give the support (answer the remote assistance requests), I became astonish!  My God, how Microsoft could do something like that and still wanting us (IT Professionals) to encourage the use Windows 8? 

Here's how to launch and use  Windows remote assistance in windows 8:

Launch windows remote assistance: C:\Windows\system32\msra.exe

Click on Invite someone you trust to help you

Click on Use email to send an invitation

Once the email is opened then send it to the person who is going to help you.

Here's how to launch and use  Windows remote assistance in windows 8:

Launch windows remote assistance: C:\Windows\system32\msra.exe

Click on Invite someone you trust to help you

Click on Use email to send an invitation

Once the email is opened then send it to the person who is going to help you.

• Edited by bortyuk Tuesday, July 02, 2013 10:34 PM grammer
• Proposed as answer by bortyuk Tuesday, July 02, 2013 10:35 PM

Wait, you mean that after persuading my client to move to Windows 8 I now have to either

1) Tell him to move over 100 PCs back to Windows 7

or

2) Tell him to not use Intune for support?

... and (I apologize for the following sarcasm) you work for Microsoft?

Either the Intune developers are out of sync with the rest of Microsoft or Microsoft doesn't feel like they need the sales. Please tell me there's a third option...

Hopeful,

Neville

What about the Alerts and monitoring? Windows 8 and Intune have a somewhat larger problem than just remote assistance. And I'm sure that many of the partners (including myself) would like to know when these issues will be fixed; or even if someone is actually fixing them at all.

Is this still the case?

Why does Windows Intune still not work properly with Windows 8?

It's almost about 1 year from the Windows 8 launched, and yet Windows Intune team still not able to get the Remote Assistance to support? It's ridiculous! As Windows 8.1 is going to launch next month (Oct)! So when MSWI team to release it? 

I completely agree with you!

I totaly agree!

I'm stunned that an issue of this important would take so long to get addressed.  I'm just doing a 30 day trial of Intune at the moment.  While in my case we don't have Win 8 clients, I would be concerned that the unannounced withdrawal of this key feature for a new OS bodes badly for the product.

The blog says that the current Intune update that's happening will address Remote Support in win 8.1, so it's probably just around the corner.  Let's hope that this episode makes the Windows developers more aware of Intune.

>The blog says that the current Intune update that's happening will address Remote Support in win 8.1, so it's probably just around the corner.

Nope, nope and nope. I just installed Intune on two Windows 8.1 machines today (26 Sep 13). We are a nogo, over.

The blog says that the current Intune update that's happening will address Remote Support in win 8.1, so it's probably just around the corner.  Let's hope that this episode makes the Windows developers more aware of Intune.

Which blog did you see that claimed that the Sept update was going to provide Remote Support in Windows 8.1?

I don't see anything relating to Windows 8.1 other than the Sept release supports ENROLLING Windows 8.1 clients.

Now according to some information announced about intune at this years Build conference Windows 8.1 standard computers should be able to enroll as well as the current Windows 8.1 Pro/Enterprise editions. But nothing I have seen indicates that they are changing the remote access support.

I would love for support to be added, but I just didn't see anything to that effect for this release.

Windows 8.1 does NOT support remote assistance in Windows Intune either... What a mess...

I am in a position to decide if use Intune or not.
We have all Windows 8.1 machines, and:

1) the control panel is a mess
2) Use Silverlight, a good technology, but abandoned by Microsoft itself
3) Do not have remote assistance
4) It is not cheap

I will go probably with Teamviewer for remote assistance only, Win 8.1 update itself and every once in awhile I will enter without a person on the other side, and check everything.
Shame on you, Azure is a fantastic product, inversely proportional to Intune regarding quality 

• Edited by LightCrystal Saturday, November 23, 2013 6:02 PM

Which blog did you see that claimed that the Sept update was going to provide Remote Support in Windows 8.1?

@neilgo - I misread the blog and indeed it doesn't say anything about RA in 8.1, sorry about that.