Microsoft KB Archive/304953

= How to deploy Office XP over a network =

Article ID: 304953

Article Last Modified on 12/4/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage
 * Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q304953



IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY Create the Administrative Installation Install Office on Network Clients
 * Run the Office Programs from the Server

Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients
 * Use a Transform
 * Use Command-Line Switches and Properties
 * Customize Setup.ini

Install Office Updates Update an Administrative Installation Update a Network Client
 * Method 1: Run Setup.exe from the Administrative Installation
 * Method 2: Use a Windows Installer Command Line

Additional Methods for Deploying Office REFERENCES



SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to deploy Office XP over a network.

The most common method for deploying Microsoft Office XP to a large number of computers is to create an administrative installation of Office on a network server, and then install it on client computers from the central location.

This method provides the following advantages over installing Office to individual computers from a Microsoft Office XP CD-ROM:
 * You can manage one set of Office files from a central location.
 * You can create a standard set of Office features and options for all users.
 * You can take advantage of flexible installation options, such as setting features to be installed on first use.
 * You can more easily deploy Office updates as they become available.
 * You have more control over when you upgrade Office.

This article contains basic information about how to create an Office administrative installation from which you can install Office onto network client computers. Some additional information in this article includes steps to customize the Office installation on the network clients.

NOTE: You can only create an administrative installation if you are using an Enterprise edition of Office XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290134 How To Determine Whether You Have a Retail or Enterprise Edition of Office XP

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Create the Administrative Installation
The first step in deploying Office over a network is to create the administrative installation. To do this, you need at least 550 megabytes (MB) of free disk space on a central server and you need write access to the server. After you are sure that these two requirements are met, follow these steps.

NOTE: You can perform these steps while you are logged on to the server or from a network client that has a connection with the server.  Insert the Office CD-ROM, and then cancel any AutoRun activity that may occur. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type the following, and then click OK:

\Setup.exe /a

NOTE:  is the path to your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive that contains the Office CD-ROM. In the Administrative installation dialog box, type the name of your organization in the Organization box.

This is the name that will appear in the Office program splash screens that are displayed every time you start an Office program. Specify the installation folder for the administrative installation. This location can be a folder on a local hard disk drive or a folder on another computer. You can specify either a mapped drive or a UNC path to the folder. You can also click Browse to browse for the folder. Type the CD key from your Volume License agreement. Click Next.</li> In the End-User License Agreement dialog box, accept the license agreement, and then click Install.</li></ol>

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Install Office on Network Clients
After you complete the administrative installation, you can begin the installation of Office on the network client computers that can connect to the computer with the administrative installation. To install Office from the server, follow these steps: <ol> Log on to the network client computer.

NOTE: On Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000, you must log on as a member of the Administrators group.</li> Click Start and then click Run.</li> In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK:

 \Setup.exe

NOTE:  is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.

NOTE: You can include Windows Installer command-line switches and properties to customize the way that the Office installation is run. For example, you can use the /q switch to install Office without any user interaction. Refer to the Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients section of this article for more information.</li></ol>

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Run the Office Programs from the Server
If your network client computers are low on disk space, you may want to consider installing Office so that most of the installation files remain on the server. In order to do this, you must perform a Custom installation, where you change the installation state of the Office programs to Run from Network.

To install Office so that the Office programs are run from a network server, follow these steps: <ol> Click Start and then click Run.</li> In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK:

\Setup.exe

NOTE:  is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.

NOTE: If you want to install Office by using the /q switch so that the Office programs run from the server, you must create a Custom transform. Refer to the Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients section of this article for more information.</li> In the User Information dialog box, verify that the information is correct, and then click Next.</li> In the Choose the type of installation you need dialog box, click Run from Network.</li> In the Install to box, specify a folder on the local hard disk, and then click Next.

NOTE: Do not specify a network drive location, because that is not the procedure for establishing a Run from Network configuration.</li> In the Begin installation dialog box, click Install.</li></ol>

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Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients
You can always run Office Setup interactively to install Microsoft Office, or you can allow users to run Setup interactively, as described in the Install Office on Network Clients section earlier in this article. However, Office Setup offers you many opportunities to customize Office installations by using command-line options, by modifying the Setup settings file (Setup.ini), or by installing Office with a transform. Each method provides unique advantages in terms of what you can customize and how you give users access to the custom installation. You can implement one or more of these methods, depending on the level of customization that you need.

NOTE: If you specify the same Setup options but use different values in the command line, settings file, and transform, Setup uses the following rules to determine which settings to use:
 * If you set an option in the Office Custom Installation Wizard that corresponds to a Setup property, the wizard sets the corresponding property automatically in the MST file.
 * If you modify a Setup property in the Modify Setup Properties page of the Custom Installation Wizard, this setting overrides any corresponding options that you set in earlier pages of the wizard. Your modified Setup property is written to the MST file.
 * If you set options, including Setup properties, in the settings file that conflict with options in the transform, the values in the settings file take precedence.
 * If you set options on the command line, those settings take precedence over any conflicting values in either the settings file or the transform.

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Use a Transform
A Windows Installer transform (.mst file) is most useful when you want to make extensive customizations, especially customizations that you cannot make by using the Setup command line or settings file.

For example, in the .mst file you can do the following:
 * Specify the installation location for Office.
 * Specify the location of the Office shortcuts.
 * Determine which earlier versions of Office are removed.
 * Set the installation state of Office features. For example, you can set the features to Run from Network or Installed on First Use.
 * Hide features so they do not appear in the Setup user interface.
 * Add custom files and registry entries to the Office installation.
 * Set Windows Installer properties.
 * Include additional .exe programs that will be run when the Office installation is finished.

You create a Windows Installer transform by using the Office Custom Installation Wizard (CIW). The Windows Installer transform contains the changes that you want to make to the installation process and is used by the Windows Installer during the installation of Office.

For complete information about how to use the Custom Installation Wizard to create a transform file, see the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/appndx/appa04.htm

NOTE: You cannot use the CIW with a Retail edition of Office XP. Refer to the following Knowledge Base article for further information:

298802 OFFXP: Error Message Using CIW with Non-Enterprise Edition

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Use Command-Line Switches and Properties
When you run Setup, you can use command-line options to change some of the parameters that Setup uses to install Office. By using command-line options, you can do the following:
 * Identify the MSI and MST files to use.
 * Direct Setup to run in Quiet mode.
 * Initialize Windows Installer logging.
 * Alter Setup property values.

For example, you can type the following options on the command line:

\Proplus.msi /p \  shortfilenames=1

where  is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP,   is the path to the update file, and   is the .msp file name.

NOTE: You must run this command from a computer on which the Windows Installer is already installed.

NOTE: You may need to change the name of the .msi package that is specified in this command line. The preceding example uses Proplus.msi, which is for Office XP Professional with FrontPage installations.</li> Click Next in the Microsoft Office XP Administrative Installation dialog box.

NOTE: You do not have to type your CD Key or company name in the Microsoft Office XP Administrative Installation dialog box.</li> Click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.</li> Click Install.</li> Click OK when the update is finished. At this point, your administrative installation point is updated with the .msp file.</li></ol>

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Update a Network Client
After you finish the update of your administrative installation, you must update all of the network client computers that originally installed Office from the administrative installation.

Use one of the following methods to update workstations on which Office XP is already installed from your administrative installation point.

NOTE: Do not use the stand-alone client patches available from the Office Update Web site to update network clients that originally installed Office XP from an administrative installation. The stand-alone client patches are for use on computers that installed Office XP from CD-ROM.

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 Method 1: Run Setup.exe from the Administrative Installation

Follow these steps to update Office on your network client by using Setup.exe on the Office administrative installation: <ol> Click Start and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box

\Setup.exe

where  is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.</li> <li>Click Yes when prompted to update your installation.</li> <li>Click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.</li> <li>Click OK on the message that states that Setup completed successfully.</li></ol>

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 Method 2: Use a Windows Installer Command Line

Follow these steps to update Office on your network client by using a Windows Installer command line: <ol> <li>Click Start and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box

msiexec /i \Proplus.msi reinstall=all reinstallmode=vomus

where  is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.

NOTE: You may need to change the name of the .msi package that is specified in this command line. The preceding example uses Proplus.msi, which is for Office XP Professional with FrontPage installations.

</li> <li>Click OK to the message that Setup completed successfully.NOTE: The preceding command line works with all updates. However, you may be able to use a command line that requires less time to perform the update than the preceding command line requires. Refer to the documentation for the update file that you are using for more information about the specific command line to be used with the specific update.</li></ol>

For additional information about deploying Office updates to network computers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

301348 How to install a public update to administrative installations of Office XP

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Additional Methods for Deploying Office
In addition to the techniques already described for deploying and managing Office in a networked environment, you can deploy Office by using either of the following two technologies:
 * Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Group Policy

For more information about using Microsoft Systems Management Server to deploy Office, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/one/deph01.htm

For more information about using Microsoft Windows 2000 Group Policy to deploy Office, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/one/depc02.htm

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