Microsoft KB Archive/149655

= OFF95: Contents of Readme.txt for the NIW Available Online =

Article ID: Q149655

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0

SUMMARY
The following is the contents of the Readme.txt file that comes with the Microsoft Network Installation Wizard (NIW), version 1.0b or 1.1, that is available online. These versions of the NIW contain several corrections and additions to version 1.0 of the NIW.

The Readme.txt file is contained in the self-extracting file, Netinst.exe, which is available on the Microsoft Network, the Microsoft home page, and the Microsoft ftp site. For information about obtaining the updated NIW, see the end of the Readme.txt file in this article.

NOTE: The NIW version 1.0b has a file date of 11/5/95, while version 1.1 has a file date of 3/28/96.

NETWORK INSTALLATION WIZARD README FILE
The Network Installation Wizard is described in Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations," in the Office Resource Kit. This readme file contains additional detail not covered in the Office Resource Kit.

CONTENTS
1. Network Installation Wizard Limitations

2. Creating a Shortcut for Users to Run Setup

3. Troubleshooting Tips

4. For More Information

5. Last Minute Updates

1. NETWORK INSTALLATION WIZARD LIMITATIONS

The Network Installation Wizard is designed as a tool to     modify generic STF files but has been tailored for use with the Office 95 STF. It should only be used with the Office 95 STF file.

1.1 Custom Entries

The Include Additional Entries feature in the Network Installation Wizard allows you to add custom files and custom registration entries to the installation.

1.1.1 Custom Files

- Using the Network Installation Wizard, you can add a            maximum of 84 files to the setup process. - If new files are added, you must replace the original Inf file with the new Inf file for Setup to find the additional files. - All custom files must be in the Custom subfolder of the administrative installation. If any custom file is not in            that folder, Setup will generate an error. - The destination you specify when adding a custom file is            hard coded in the STF file.

1.1.2 Custom Registration Entries

- The only verification made on a custom registration entry is ensuring that a key is provided. When using the wizard, it is imperative that you verify spelling and content. USE CAUTION - IMPROPER REGISTRY ENTRIES CAN CAUSE WINDOWS 95 TO FAIL. - Setup can only modify registration entries that are String or DWORD types; Binary type values cannot be            modified during an installation.

1.2 Application Launching Options

This dialog box only lists the links that are created when installing on a Windows NT workstation. If you choose to not install a specific link, or if you select the Install No       Links option, this will affect only the links created on        Windows NT. The shortcuts created on the Start menu by Office 95 applications can be modified by the Configure Shortcut Installation Options item in the Office Options dialog box of       the Wizard.

1.3 Office Options

These options can be grouped into three types: setting locations, setting other default values, and minimizing footprints for a Workstation Installation.

1.3.1 Setting locations

By default, the locations defined in the STF file for these items are specified as relative paths. The actual locations where the files are installed on disk are determined during installation using such factors as the folder specified by         the user for Office and the user's current drive letter mappings.

If you define a location for one of these settings, then that location will be specified in the STF file exactly as         you enter it, including any drive letter given. Therefore, we recommend that you not change these default locations unless you are certain that all your users have consistent drive letter mappings and can use the same absolute paths for these files.

If you select an item and then click the Edit Selection button, the wizard will propose a location for that item. You can keep the proposed path or modify it. If you click OK, the given absolute path will be written to the STF file. These locations can be modified by the end user after installation in the same way the end user would normally change default locations.

1.3.2 Setting default values

These items allow you to preset the default settings for certain features.

1.3.3 Minimizing footprints Warning: These options have undergone some testing, but it is possible that situations may exist in         which these options will fail. If any of these changes cause a problem such as a file not being found, open and modify the original STF file with the Network Installation Wizard, except without setting this specific option, and then reinstall Office.

You should also be aware of possible contention issues that may arise if you allow write access to         templates shared by multiple users over a network. If an Office application allows two users to open a         template file simultaneously, then if both users both attempt to modify the file at the same time, only the changes written by the last user to write to the file will be saved. If the application opens the template exclusively, then the first user to         open the file will succeed and others will not be          allowed to open the file.

Additional Notes:

- In an environment where the applications are shared over the network, an additional five MB of files that are not System files may be installed locally for each user by            default. Depending on the specific item, the Network Installation Wizard may give you the option of using the files over the network or not installing them. - Minimized PowerPoint - The Network Installation Wizard allows the administrator to move the PowerPoint PPA (wizard) files from the local machine to a shared location on the network. - Minimized Office Shortcut Bar - All files can be shared, but for individual flexibility the Toolbar root location is kept local so the links can be created, removed, or            modified by the end user. This requires typically less than 10KB of disk space by default. See the Last Minute Update 5.1c below for additional information - Minimized Find Fast - The initial footprint of Find Fast is small (less than 100KB) but the indexes it generates can grow to 3-5% of the size of the documents being indexed. The benefit of having Find Fast on the local machine is increased performance in searching for documents; however, some administrators may choose to            trade performance for space by not installing Find Fast.

2. CREATING A SHORTCUT FOR USERS TO RUN SETUP

An easy way for users to access the modified setup is to use a shortcut that you've created and distributed to them. You can create a shortcut to the setup file with the command line parameter to run installation in quiet mode, as well as     with any additional command line parameters needed. This will ensure that users get the default options you have specified. Quiet mode runs setup using the default options set by the Network Installation Wizard. For more information on quiet mode, see Chapter 9, "Customizing Client     Installations" in the Office Resource Kit.

To create a shortcut to the correct setup:

1. Rename the original setup.stf to something else, such as         oldsetup.stf.

2. Open oldsetup.stf with the Network Installation Wizard and set the options you want.

3. Save these changes to a file named setup.stf.

4. Create a shortcut to setup.exe in the same folder. For information about creating Windows 95 shortcuts, see the Windows 95 Help.

5. After the shortcut to setup.exe is created, point to it and click the right mouse button. On the Shortcut menu, click Properties.

6. Click the Shortcut tab.

7. The Target box should contain a path to setup.exe. Add the command line parameter '/Q' to the end of this line along with any other parameters you need (/Q runs setup in quiet mode). Click OK.

The shortcut created will now run setup in quiet mode. This shortcut can be renamed to anything you want, such as "Office 95 Setup for the     Support Group" or "Setup for Executive Assistants".

3. TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

- If you have problems using the Network Installation Wizard, delete all left over files in the Temp directory, restart Windows to clear memory, and then try again.

- Be sure you have at least 2-3 MB available in your Temp area for the work files that the wizard will create.

4. FOR MORE INFORMATION

For a description of the Network Installation Wizard, see Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations," in the Office Resource Kit.

LAST MINUTE UPDATES

Known issues with this release of the Network Installation Wizard are listed below. You can identify the release by the size of     the executable "Network Installation Wizard.exe" or NIW.EXE.

Versions Dates                Executable Sizes 1.0      09/13/95             313979       1.0a      December TechNet CD       1.0b      11/05/95             319099 1.1      03/28/96             332155

5.1 Office Options

5.1a "Minimize Footprint of Access Briefcase Replication" "Briefcase replication" is not an accurate description of        the Office Option referencing replication. The 228K file is not used by Windows 95 Briefcase replication, but it is        used for conflict resolution for any type of Access database replication conflict. Without this file installed, problems would arise on any OS that does not have the "Briefcase" utility. This file needs to be present for any users who will be using replicated databases. See 5.2a of this README.

5.1b Minimized Office Shortcut Bar. If this option is used the administrator must do either of the following.

Either: Copy the file MSOW.EXE from the \OS\SYSTEM directory to the \OFFICE directory or              Run the first client install with full Read/Write access to the \OFFICE directory so that Setup can copy the file there.

If this is not done, buttons using this file will not function properly and the icons may show generic icons (e.g. Open a Document, Answer Wizard)

5.2  Corrections\Additions\Changes

5.2a Some Office Options would ignore the 'Yes/No' value. The following options would always perform the 'Yes' option whenever they were viewed and 'OK' was selected instead of 'Cancel'.

"Minimize Footprint of Access Briefcase Replication" "Prevent Bookshelf '95 integration" "Prevent the addition of the Office Compatible button"

This was corrected as of Version 1.0b

5.2b Changes to the Word Document File Location were being written to         an invalid registry key. This was corrected as of Version 1.1.

5.2c The NIW would automatically delete any pre-existing NEWSETUP.STF if 'cancel' was selected during an editing session. This was corrected as of Version 1.1. Reference KnowledgeBase article Q145569.

5.2d When you run the NIW and select a Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0a,(Standard or Professional edition) Setup.stf in the File Open dialog box, the file appears to load completely followed by the following error message:

Isn't an index in this table

Reference KnowledgeBase article Q148303. This was corrected as        of Version 1.1.

5.2e The NIW would previously perform only the last directory change made in the component selection section. This was corrected as        of Version 1.1.

5.2f The NIW now supports the removal of Schedule Plus 7.0 from the Office 95 setup. This affects all installation types. This is        available as of Version 1.1.

5.2g The NIW now provides an option for correcting the failure of a         Run-From-Server installation to an IBM LanServer box. Reference KnowledgeBase article Q147127. This is available as        of Version 1.1.

5.2h The support for command line switches '/enhanced' and '/edlin' have been removed as of Version 1.1.

5.2I The NIW now supports the use of a universal naming convention (UNC) path to select the location of the .stf file. Reference KnowledgeBase article Q142980. This is available as of Version 1.1.

You may download the most current version of this utility by going to the Technet locations on MSN or the WorldWide Web.

MSN Access:

From MSN choose Edit - GoTo - Other Location and enter TechNet Double-click on the TechNet Download Area. Open the message "ORK95 - Network Installation Wizard" and use File - SaveAs to download the NETINST.EXE by saving the attachment.

FTP Access:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/technet/office95/netinst.exe