Question:

How can I perform a silent uninstallation of the Sophos SSL VPN Client without user interaction?

I am trying to migrate from the Sophos SSL VPN Client, which is end-of-life, to the Sophos Connect 2.0 client for my company. However, I cannot find any documentation on how to silently uninstall the old client remotely. I have tried using the following command:

“`Execute-Process -FilePath “C:\Program Files (x86)\Sophos\Sophos SSL VPN Client\Uninstall.exe” -Parameters ‘/S /qn’“`

But this still prompts the user to confirm the termination of all connections before uninstalling the client. Is there any way to bypass this confirmation and remove the client completely without any user interaction? I have attached a screenshot of the pop-up window that appears.

Any guidance would be appreciated, as there is very little information available online about this legacy application.

Answer:

How to silently uninstall the Sophos SSL VPN Client without user interaction

If you are looking for a way to remotely uninstall the Sophos SSL VPN Client from your devices without any user intervention, you may have encountered some challenges. The Sophos SSL VPN Client is a legacy application that has reached its end-of-life and is no longer supported by Sophos. It has been replaced by the Sophos Connect 2.0 client, which offers better performance, security, and compatibility.

However, uninstalling the old client is not as straightforward as installing the new one. The default uninstallation command, which is:

“`

Execute-Process -FilePath “C:\Program Files (x86)\Sophos\Sophos SSL VPN Client\Uninstall.exe” -Parameters ‘/S /qn’“`

does not work silently, as it still requires the user to confirm the termination of all active connections before proceeding with the removal. This can be problematic if you want to automate the uninstallation process or avoid any user interaction.

Fortunately, there is a workaround that can help you achieve a silent uninstallation of the Sophos SSL VPN Client. The trick is to use a PowerShell script that first kills the process of the Sophos SSL VPN Client and then runs the uninstallation command with the /S /qn parameters. This way, the confirmation pop-up window will not appear and the client will be removed without any user interaction.

The PowerShell script can be something like this:

“`

Kill the Sophos SSL VPN Client process

Stop-Process -Name “openvpn-gui” -Force

Run the uninstallation command silently

Execute-Process -FilePath “C:\Program Files (x86)\Sophos\Sophos SSL VPN Client\Uninstall.exe” -Parameters ‘/S /qn’“`

You can save this script as a .ps1 file and run it remotely using a tool like PowerShell Remoting or PsExec. Alternatively, you can also deploy it using a software distribution system like SCCM or Intune.

By using this script, you should be able to silently uninstall the Sophos SSL VPN Client from your devices without any user interaction. This will allow you to migrate to the Sophos Connect 2.0 client smoothly and securely.

We hope this article was helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading.