Topics in this chapter   Creating an Administrative Installation Point     Customizing the Office Installation     Customizing How Setup Runs     Customizing Office Features and Shortcuts     Customizing User-defined Settings     Including Additional Packages in the Office Installation     Customizing Removal Behavior     Distributing Office to Users' Computers     Deploying a Service Release

Customizing Office Features and Shortcuts

When you install Microsoft Office XP from an administrative installation point, you can determine which applications and features are installed on users' computers, including how and when features are installed. You can also customize the way that Setup creates shortcuts for Office XP applications and even add your own custom files to the Office installation.

Selecting Office features

When running Office Setup interactively, users can choose which Office applications and features are installed by selecting options from the feature tree that Setup displays. Office features can be installed in any of the following states:

• Copied to the local hard disk
  
  
• Run from the network server
  
  
• Installed on first use, which means that Setup does not install the feature until the first time it is used
  
  
• Not installed, but accessible to users through Add/Remove Programs or the command line
  
  
• Not installed, not displayed during Setup, and not accessible to users after Office is installed

By using the Office Custom Installation Wizard, you can make these choices for users ahead of time. When users run Setup interactively, the installation states that you specify in the transform(MST file) appear as the default selections. When you run Setup quietly, your choices determine how the features are installed.

Toolbox   The Office XP Resource Kit includes the Custom Installation Wizard, which is installed by default when you run the Office Resource Kit Setup program. For information about specific options and settings, you can click the Help button on any page of the wizard. For more information, see Custom Installation Wizard in the Toolbox.

Set the installation state for features

The Set Feature Installation States page of the Custom Installation Wizard displays the same feature tree that users see when they select the Customize option during Setup. The feature tree is a hierarchy. Parent features contain child features, and child features can contain subordinate child features. For example, the Microsoft Word for Windows feature includes the child feature Help. The Help feature includes the child feature Help for WordPerfect Users.

When you click a feature in the feature tree, you can select one of the following installation states:

• Run from My Computer

  Setup copies files and writes registry entries and shortcuts associated with the feature to the user's hard disk, and the application or feature runs locally.

• Run all from My Computer

  Same as Run from My Computer, except that all child features belonging to the feature are also set to this state.

• Run from Network

  Setup leaves components for the feature on the administrative installation point, and the feature is run from there.

• Run all from Network

  Same as Run from Network, except that all child features belonging to the feature are also set to this state.

  Note that some child features do not support Run from Network; these child features are installed on the local computer.

• Installed on First Use

  Setup leave components for the feature and all its child features on the administrative installation point until the user first attempts to use the feature, at which time the components are automatically copied to the local hard disk.

  Note that some child features do not support Installed on First Use; these features are installed on the local computer.

• Not Available

  The components for the feature, and all of the child features belonging to the feature, are not installed on the computer.

• Not Available, Hidden, and Locked

  The components for the feature are not installed and the feature does not appear in the feature tree during Setup — nor can users install it by changing the state of the parent feature or by calling Windows Installer directly from the command line.

Not all installation states are available for every feature. For example, if a feature contains a component that cannot be run over the network, then Run from Network is not included in the list of available installation states.

When you change the installation state of a feature, Windows Installer may automatically change the installation state of a parent or child feature to match. If you set the Help feature to Installed on First Use, for example, but set the child feature Help for WordPerfect Users to Run from My Computer, then Setup installs the entire Help feature on the local hard disk.

Tip   If you run the Custom Installation Wizard (Custwiz.exe) with the /x command-line option, the wizard displays the feature tree fully expanded on the Set Feature Installation States page.

Hide or lock features during Setup

In addition to setting the installation state, you can right-click any feature on the Set Feature Installation States page and click Hide to hide the feature from the user. Setup does not display hidden features in the feature tree when users run Setup interactively; instead, the feature is installed behind the scenes according to the installation state that you have specified. When you hide a feature, all of the child features belonging to the feature are also hidden.

The best use of the Hide setting is to simplify the feature tree for users. For example, you might hide the Office Tools branch of the feature tree so that users do not have to decide which tools they need. Only the tools that you select are installed.

Note   When you edit the transform in the Custom Installation Wizard, you can reverse the Hide setting by right-clicking the feature and clicking Unhide. However, you cannot use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to expose a hidden feature after Office is installed.

Even if you set a feature to Not Available and hide it in the feature tree, users can still change the setting and install the feature by installing the parent feature or by running Office XP in maintenance mode. For example, if you set the Help for WordPerfect Users feature to Not Available and hide it, users can still install it by setting the parent Help feature to Run All from My Computer.

If you want to prevent users from installing hidden features, choose the Not Available, Hidden, and Locked installation state. In this case, the feature or application is not installed and is not available in maintenance mode. Users cannot install it by changing the state of the parent feature or by calling Windows Installer directly from the command line. The only way to change the Not Available, Hidden, and Locked installation state after Office XP is installed is to use the Custom Maintenance Wizard.

Toolbox   The Office XP Resource Kit includes the Custom Maintenance Wizard, which is installed by default when you run the Office Resource Kit Setup program. For more information, see Custom Maintenance Wizard in the Toolbox.

When users install Office, Setup does not display the feature tree by default. Clicking the Customize option displays a top-level list of Office applications. Users can select the check box next to an application to install a typical set of features. When you set an Office application to Not Available, Hidden, and Locked, the check box on this page remains visible but appears grayed out — users cannot select the application. To remove the check box altogether, set the SKIPCHECKBOX property to True.

For more information about changing feature installation states after Office XP is installed, see Changing Feature Installation States.

Disable installation states that rely on a network connection

Installing features on demand or running features over the network is not always efficient. Both of these installation states require a fast connection and reliable access to the administrative installation point on the network — which laptop users in the field might not always have.

The Custom Installation Wizard for Office XP includes two new options on the Set Feature Installation States page that disable these installation states and help ensure that users do not reset features to these states during Setup or in maintenance mode:

• Disable Run from Network

  When you select a feature in the feature tree and then select this check box, users are prevented from setting the feature to run from the network — the installation state does not appear in the list of options during initial Setup or in maintenance mode.

• Disable Installed on First Use

  When you select a feature in the feature tree and then select this check box, users are prevented from setting the feature to be installed on first use — the installation state does not appear in the list of options during initial Setup or in maintenance mode.

Child features do not inherit these settings from parent features. You must select each feature in the tree and set Disable Run from Network or Disable Installed on First Use for only that feature.

Note   The Disable Run from Network and Disable Installed on First Use properties remain in effect for as long as Office is installed on the user's computer. You cannot reverse these settings by using the Custom Maintenance Wizard.

Modify intelligent Setup behavior

To make an Office XP installation more efficient, Setup automatically sets default feature installation states in the following circumstances:

• When you upgrade to Office XP, Setup detects and matches feature installation states from the previous version.

  For example, if Microsoft Word 2000 is installed to run from the network, Setup installs Word 2002 to run from the network. If Microsoft Access 2000 is set to Not Available, Setup does not install Access 2002.

• When you install MUI Packs from the Office XP Multilingual User Interface Pack, Setup matches the feature installation states specified for the core version of Office.

  For example, if the core English version of Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 is set to be installed on demand, then Setup automatically sets international versions of PowerPoint 2002 features to Installed on First Use.

• When you install Office under Windows Terminal Services, Setup applies the most efficient installation state for each feature.

  For example, because the speech recognition feature does not run efficiently over most networks and might not be supported by all clients, Windows Terminal Services automatically changes the feature installation state from Installed on First Use to Not Available.

This intelligent Setup behavior works to your advantage in most situations. However, you can override Setup and specify your own default feature installation states in a transform by using one of the following two settings:

• NOFEATURESTATEMIGRATION property

  Setting this property to True for the Office XP package overrides intelligent Setup behavior for the entire package. Note that this property has no affect on Windows Terminal Services logic; you must override optional Windows Terminal Services installation states on a per-feature basis.

• Do Not Migrate Previous Installation State check box on the Set Feature Installation States page of the Custom Installation Wizard

  Selecting an Office XP feature in the feature tree and then selecting this check box overrides intelligent Setup behavior and enforces the installation state you set in the transform. (If you have already set the NOFEATURESTATEMIGRATION property for the entire package, then selecting this check box for a given feature has no effect.) Note that this setting has no effect on default feature installation state matching for MUI Pack features.

The following table summarizes the results of setting the property for an Office XP package or selecting the check box for a feature.

The NOFEATURESTATEMIGRATION property has no effect on Windows Terminal Services logic. However, you can select the Do Not Migrate Previous Installation State check box to override default Windows Terminal Services settings for some features. For example, if your network and clients support the speech recognition feature, you can set that feature to Run from My Computer and select the Do Not Migrate Previous Installation State check box to enforce your setting.

Note   You cannot override all of the installation states set by default under Windows Terminal Services. For example, Windows Terminal Services does not allow any feature to be set to Installed on First Use.

Adding files to the installation

In addition to selecting what Office files are installed, Setup allows you to add your own files to the Office installation. You can deploy corporate templates, images, custom applications, or other files along with Office. On the Add/Remove Files to the Installation page of the Office Custom Installation Wizard, click Add to add a new file to the installation.

After you select one or more files to add, enter the destination path for the file or files in the File Destination Path dialog box. You can enter an absolute path on the user's computer, or you can select a path from the list. If you select a path, you can add a subfolder to it by appending a backslash (\) followed by the subfolder name. When you click OK, the wizard adds the file to the transform. Setup installs the file on the user's computer, in the folder you specified, when the user installs Office.

Note   Files that you add to the installation on this page are not removed if the user subsequently modifies the file or removes, repairs, or reinstalls Office.

After you add the file, you can add a shortcut for the file on the Add, Modify, or Remove Shortcuts page of the wizard. On that page, click Add — the file you added appears in the Target box. Because the file is copied into the transform, you must update the transform if the file changes later on.

To update the installation with modified files

1. On the Create or Open the MST File page, enter the name of the Windows Installer transform (MST file).
   
   
2. On the Select the MST File to Save page, enter the name of the MST file again.
   
   
3. Click Next until you reach the Add/Remove Files to the Installation page.
   
   
4. Select the file that has changed, and click Remove.
   
   
5. Click Add, and then enter the information for your modified file.

The Custom Installation Wizard also allows you to specify files to remove from users' computers when Office is installed. For example, you can have Setup delete custom templates designed for Word 97 or Word 2000 when you upgrade to Word 2002. Click the Remove Files tab to list files to remove.

For more information about adding or removing files by using a transform, see the Custom Installation Wizard Help file.

Customizing Office shortcuts

By using the Office Custom Installation Wizard, you can customize the shortcuts that Setup creates for Microsoft Office applications and files. You can control what shortcuts are installed, and you can also specify which folder the shortcut is stored in and what command-line options to use with the shortcut.

On the Add, Modify, or Remove Shortcuts page, the Custom Installation Wizard displays shortcuts for all the features that you selected on the Set Feature Installation States page.

An additional tab displays shortcuts for Office XP features that you did not set to be installed. Use the Shortcuts Not Installed tab to customize shortcuts for applications that you plan to install later. For example, if you omitted Access 2002 from your initial installation, you can use the Custom Maintenance Wizard to install Access later. Because the Custom Maintenance Wizard does not allow you to customize the way shortcuts are installed, however, you can customize Access shortcuts ahead of time in the transform.

Modify an existing shortcut

On the Add, Modify, or Remove Shortcuts page, you modify any existing shortcut by selecting the shortcut and clicking Modify. In the Add/Modify Shortcut Entry dialog box, you can make the following modifications:

• Target

  Change the application associated with the shortcut. The names in the list correspond to features that you selected on the Set Feature Installation States page of the wizard, plus any custom files that you added to the installation on the Add Files to the Installation page. You can add command-line options by appending a space and a list of options to the target name.

  For example, to customize the Microsoft Word shortcut to open a Word document as a template, select <Microsoft Word> and append the /t option as follows:

  <microsoft word> /t "c:\Tools\Accounting Forms.doc"

• Location

  Change the folder in which the shortcut is created by selecting a location from the list. You can specify a subfolder by appending a backslash (\) followed by the subfolder name.

  For example, to install the Microsoft Word shortcut in the subfolder Microsoft Office XP in the Programs folder in the Start menu, select <StartMenu\Programs> and append the subfolder name as follows:

  <startmenu\programs>\Microsoft Office XP

• Name

  Change the name of the shortcut by entering any string.

• Start in

  Change the starting folder for the application by entering a path. The path must be a valid path on the user's computer. If it is not a valid path, the user sees an error message when trying to use the shortcut.

• Shortcut key

  Associate a shortcut key with this shortcut by entering the shortcut key string in this box. Click the Help button in the wizard for a description of how to specify a shortcut key.

• Run

  Select how you want the application to run when the user double-clicks this shortcut. For example, if you want the application to run in a maximized window by default, then select Maximized.

• Change Icon

Select a new icon for the shortcut.

Add or remove shortcuts

You can click Add to add a new shortcut for any file being installed by Setup. This step allows you to create duplicate shortcuts for the most frequently used Office applications on the user's computer. It also allows you to create shortcuts for custom files or applications that you add to the installation.

To remove a shortcut from the list, select the shortcut and click Remove.

Create Windows Installer shortcuts

Windows Installer shortcuts support automatic repair of Office features and allow you to advertise Office applications. Advertised applications are installed the first time a user clicks the shortcut or opens a file associated with the application. If the computer does not support Windows Installer shortcuts, then any feature set to Installed on First Use is installed on the local hard disk, and Setup creates a standard Windows shortcut.

By default, Setup creates Windows Installer shortcuts on any computer that supports them. The following operating systems support Windows Installer shortcuts:

• Microsoft Windows 2000 or later
  
  
• Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me)
  
  
• Microsoft Windows 98
  
  
• Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a, if you also install either Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1 or Internet Explorer 5.01 with the Active Desktop® option.

In some circumstances, you might not want Setup to create Windows Installer shortcuts. For example, if you are deploying to roaming users who sometimes log on to computers that do not support Windows Installer shortcuts, you can circumvent the default behavior by clearing the Create Windows Installer shortcuts if supported check box on the Add, Modify, or Remove Shortcuts page.

For more information about updating Windows NT 4.0 to support Windows Installer shortcuts, see Using Windows Installer Shortcuts with Office.

Migrate or clean up custom shortcuts from previous versions

Office users can create shortcuts with custom names or command-line options. For example, a custom shortcut might open a particular document whenever Word is started. In previous versions of Office, these shortcuts were left behind and broken when users upgraded to a new version of Office. In Office XP, however, Setup automatically migrates custom shortcuts to point to the corresponding Office XP application.

For example, if you create a shortcut to Word 2000 on the Desktop, Setup replaces it with a shortcut to Word 2002. If you associated a custom command line with the shortcut, Setup preserves that as well.

Note   Custom shortcuts for previous versions of Access are not updated to point to Access 2002 when you upgrade.

How Setup handles custom shortcut migration

Setup handles shortcut migration for each application separately. If you upgrade most of your applications to Office XP but retain Microsoft Excel 2000, for example, then all your shortcuts point to the correct versions — Office XP applications and Excel 2000.

If you install more than one version of the same application on your computer — for example, both Excel 2000 and Excel 2002 — then Setup updates all custom shortcuts to point to the Office XP application. (Default shortcuts from the previous version are left unchanged.) In this multiple-version scenario, you might later uninstall Office XP; however, your custom shortcuts are not migrated back to the previous version.

If you are installing Office XP in a multiple-version environment, and you do not want to update custom shortcuts to point to the new version, you can prevent Setup from upgrading existing custom shortcuts. Set the DISABLESCMIGRATION property to True in a transform or on the command line.

Setup handles migration of custom shortcuts in the following circumstances:

• When Office XP is first installed
  
  
• When an advertised Office XP application is installed
  
  
• When the installation state of an installed application is changed to Not Available

Setup searches the following locations for custom shortcuts:

• Desktop
  
  
• Start menu, including the Programs and Microsoft Office Tools submenus
  
  
• Quick Launch toolbar
  
  
• Office Shortcut bar

You can specify additional custom shortcuts in other locations by editing the Oclncust.opc file in the Office folder. These shortcuts are migrated when Office is installed. In the OPC file, custom shortcuts are specified by using the following syntax:

SHORTCUT=<OPC directory token or drive letter and colon>\<subdirectory>\
<target file name> | <feature> | <version> | <component> | <command line>

To remove a custom shortcut during the installation, you must specify only the target file name — Setup matches the target file name with any shortcut, regardless of the actual shortcut name (LNK file). For example, to remove any custom shortcut to Word in the Office subfolder of the StartMenu\Programs folder, add the following line to the Oclncust.opc file:

SHORTCUT=SYSMENUPROGRAMSDIR\Office\winword.exe

However, if you want Setup to automatically migrate this custom shortcut to point to Word 2002, add the following line instead:

SHORTCUT=SYSMENUPROGRAMSDIR\Office\winword.exe|WORDFiles||Global_Word_Core

Note   When a custom Windows Installer shortcut that includes command-line options migrates to Office XP, the new shortcut becomes a normal Windows shortcut. The new shortcut no longer supports install-on-demand functionality, but users can modify the command line after the upgrade.

Toolbox   The Office XP Resource Kit includes a file named Opc.doc, which describes in more detail how to customize the OPC file. This file is installed by default when you run the Office Resource Kit Setup program. For more information, see Supplemental Documentation in the Toolbox.

How Setup cleans up custom shortcuts

Office XP removes custom shortcuts to Office XP applications more efficiently than past versions. For example, if a user copies a shortcut to Excel 2002 onto the Desktop and then removes Excel 2002 from the computer, Setup automatically removes that shortcut.

In addition to the default locations that Setup checks for custom shortcuts to remove, you can direct Setup to search additional folders for outdated custom shortcuts by setting the CIWEXTRASHORTCUTDIRS property in a transform or on the command line. You specify additional locations by using a list delimited by semicolons.

For example, to direct Setup to clean up custom shortcuts in the Startup and Favorites\My Office folders, specify the following:

CIWEXTRASHORTCUTDIRS=<StartMenu\Programs\Startup>; <Favorites>\My Office

When you specify additional folders, you can use any of the following location tokens, appending other path information to them:

• <Desktop>
  
  
• <StartMenu>
  
  
• <StartMenu\Programs>
  
  
• <StartMenu\Programs\Startup
  
  
• <ProgramFiles\Microsoft Office>
  
  
• <ApplicationData>
  
  
• <Favorites>
  
  
• <NetHood>

You can also specify additional locations by using a full path – for example, C:\Office\My Office. Wildcards — both asterisks (*) and question marks (?) — are supported. For example, the following setting causes Setup to search the Start Menu\Programs folder for all folders that include Office in the name:

CIWEXTRASHORTCUTDIRS=<StartMenu\Programs\*Office*

Toolbox   The Office XP Resource Kit includes a file named Opc.doc, which describes in more detail how to customize the OPC file. This file is installed by default when you run the Office Resource Kit Setup program. For more information, see Supplemental Documentation in the Toolbox.

See also

The Help file in the Custom Installation Wizard contains detailed information about specifying installation options for Office features and shortcuts. For more information about selecting feature installation states, adding and removing files, or customizing shortcuts, click Help on the relevant page of the wizard.