Office 2003 admin install tips and tricks

[Newtt]

I am looking for some documentation on the best practice to install Office 2003.
The idea is to find the pro's and con's to the different ways to install for example install the whole suite using pro11.msi or install each peice seperately like word.msi then excel.msi and so on)
Any info would help

 

[Digitalcandy]

We use Office XP Pro here, and with the price of hard drive space, I do full installs.

 

[porkchopexpress]

We tend to go for the full instatll here as well. Create an admin install point

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011401931033.aspx

then add any other mods with the custon installation wizard.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011525761033.aspx

 

[CallwaveEmp]

I am setting up Group Policy installs, and publishing it to most of my Engineering users. Later this year, I will be assigning it to the rest of the company.

Create an Admin install point (see previous post).
Download and unpack tht the Office Resource Kit (ORK), and use the Custom Installation Wizard (also in the previous post).
Then create the Group Policy and Assign/Publish as needed.

David

 

[Newtt]

So I gather that people mostly install the Office suite as one whole piece and tend not to install each individual module seperatly. any reason not to?

 

[porkchopexpress]

Space would be a factor in the past but with modern HD's that's not an issue, network bandwidth is another that isn't really an issue now as well. If you decide that you don't want users to use certain parts of Office at a later date you can ban them with a group policy.

 

[jovoian]

i agree one central install point and load complete package, so that patches can be easily deployed withou running around to every system to insert the CD.
We linked it to one user account, so my guys just login as that user and it runs the office install script.

also to reduce admin one could deploy it with a citrix envrionment or the new companies that make a central image and the image is copied to each workstation. so you patch or modify one central install and the changes are auto sent to each desktop

 

[somedea]

Found this old thread in a search, Hoping someone here can help...........I've created an Admin install point for Office XP and have successfully deployed it through group policy. I'm now trying to deploy updates in the same fashion. I'm having trouble with the command line script to apply the updates to the admin instalation. Have been to Microsoft website, there are two different versions of the script out there, and neither seems to work for me:

[start] msiexec /p [path\name of update MSP file]
/a [path\name of MSI file] SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE /qb
/L* [path\name of log file]

OR

[start] msiexec /a [path\name of MSI file] /p
c:\OfficeXpSp3-kb832671-fullfile-enu\name of update MSP
file SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE /qb /L*
[path\name of log file]

SO I've tried:
msiexec /a C:\...PRO.msi /p C:\....OfficeXPSp3-kb832671-fullfile-enu\MAINSP3ff.msp SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE /qb

AND I've tried:
msiexec /p C:\...MAINSP3ff.msp /a C:\......PRO.msi SHORTFILENAMES-TRUE /qb

I know I'm doing some little thing wrong, but can't seem to find it. Every time I try to run it, the help file for windows installer pops up, so I know there's an error in my command. Is it necessary to include a log file? Is there another way to do this than from the command line?
Anyone available to help?
Thanks

 

[Newtt]

For a command line install to the admin install point I use the following:
msiexec /p \\...\2003Pro\AdminInstall_SP2\SP2\MAINSP2ff.msp /a \\...\2003Pro\AdminInstall_SP2\PRO11.MSI

Make sure that Msiexec.exe is in the path statment

Adjust the "to" path for the msi on the machine:
msiexec /p \\...\2003Pro\AdminInstall_SP2\SP2\MAINSP2ff.msp /qb-!