Updated: 2008-02-11

In the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Setup controls the entire installation, including processes that Windows Installer handled in previous Office versions. Customizing the default behavior of Setup allows you to control the process — for example, to run the installation without user interaction, to handle the product key and the Microsoft Software License Terms on behalf of users, and to specify an organization name or a different installation location.

To customize the way Setup manages the installation process, use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to create a Setup customization file (MSP file). Setup applies this file when users install Office on their computers.

To customize Office Setup

Create a network installation point by copying all the files and folders from the Office CD to a folder on the network.
From the root of the network installation point, run the following command line to start the Office Customization Tool:

setup.exe /admin
Select the product that you want to configure, and then click OK.
In the left pane, click Installation location and organization name.
In the Default installation path box, enter the path to a default installation location on users' computers; you can enter a relative path that includes the folder keyword [ProgramFilesFolder].
In the Organization name box, enter a default organization name for all users who install Office with this customization file.
In the left pane, click Additional network sources, and then click Add.
In the Network server box, enter the path to any backup sources that you have created on the network. If neither the user's local installation source nor the original network installation point is available, Setup uses one of these replicated installation points for operations that require the source; you can add as many sources as you need.
In the left pane, click Licensing and user interface.
In the Product Key box, enter a valid 25-character volume license key, and then select the I accept the terms in the License Agreement check box. When you provide this information in a Setup customization file, users are not prompted for a product key or Microsoft Software License Terms during the installation or the first time they start an Office application.

In the right pane, set the Display Level to Basic or None to install Office quietly (without user interaction). More information about display settings is provided later in this topic.

Note:
In enterprise deployments, it is recommended that you set Display level to None to ensure that Setup runs silently, to prevent prompting users to enter information, and to prevent the installation from waiting for any user interaction, including when files are in use. Setting Display Level to none assumes that the Suppress modal and Completion notice options are silenced and that the Microsoft Software License Terms is accepted. Administrators must also make sure that no Office applications are running during an installation of the 2007 Office system. If you set Display level to Basic and select the Suppress modal option, users may be prompted if any Office files are in use. Setting Display level to None prevents prompting users in such cases. The Suppress modal option does not prevent files in use messages from displaying; only Display level set to None prevents their display.

Note:

In enterprise deployments, it is recommended that you set Display level to None to ensure that Setup runs silently, to prevent prompting users to enter information, and to prevent the installation from waiting for any user interaction, including when files are in use. Setting Display Level to none assumes that the Suppress modal and Completion notice options are silenced and that the Microsoft Software License Terms is accepted. Administrators must also make sure that no Office applications are running during an installation of the 2007 Office system.

If you set Display level to Basic and select the Suppress modal option, users may be prompted if any Office files are in use. Setting Display level to None prevents prompting users in such cases. The Suppress modal option does not prevent files in use messages from displaying; only Display level set to None prevents their display.

Make any additional customizations, then click Save on the File menu and save the Setup customization file in the Updates folder at the root of the network installation point.

Your customizations apply to any language version of the specified product that is available on the network installation point. Most customizations apply to the language-neutral core product. However, the feature tree in the tool also includes a subset of language-specific features. Customizations to language-specific features are applied when a user installs that language; otherwise, they are ignored.

Note:
Typically, you do not need to customize logging options. By default, Setup creates a standard log file and saves it as a text file in the %Temp% folder on the user's computer. If an installation fails, Setup creates a verbose log file, starting with the package that caused the failure, in the same location. To change logging options, open the Config.xml file in Notepad and modify the <Logging> element. For more information, see Config.xml file in the 2007 Office system.

Note:

Typically, you do not need to customize logging options. By default, Setup creates a standard log file and saves it as a text file in the %Temp% folder on the user's computer. If an installation fails, Setup creates a verbose log file, starting with the package that caused the failure, in the same location. To change logging options, open the Config.xml file in Notepad and modify the <Logging> element. For more information, see Config.xml file in the 2007 Office system.

Installing Office quietly

When you deploy Office throughout an organization, you determine how much of the Setup user interface is displayed to users. By default, Setup runs interactively and presents users with choices during the installation. If you are distributing a customized configuration, it is recommended that you limit how much users interact with Setup. The installation proceeds with fewer interruptions, and your customizations are set by default for all users. For more information about display options, see Licensing and user interface in Office Customization Tool in the 2007 Office system.

If you are using a deployment tool such as Microsoft Systems Management Server to deploy Office while users are not logged on to the network, set the display level to None, which installs Office without any Setup user interface.

Note:
When you install Office quietly, you must enter a valid product key. If the product key is missing, Setup logs an error and exits. If you do not accept the license terms on behalf of users, Setup does complete the installation; however, by installing Office quietly, you have implicitly accepted the license terms.

The Windows Installer properties DISPLAY and PIDKEY do not work in the 2007 Office system; instead, you customize Setup directly by specifying a display setting and entering a product key in the OCT, as described earlier in this topic.

Because Setup plays a more significant role in controlling the installation, many Windows Installer properties are no longer needed. In fact, some Windows Installer properties are blocked and generate an error if you try to set them using the Office Customization Tool. For a complete list of the Setup properties you can use with the 2007 Office system, as well as a list of blocked or unsupported properties and their corresponding new mechanisms, see Setup properties in the 2007 Office system.

To chain additional Office product installations to your primary installation, edit the Config.xml file to run additional instances of Setup. Chaining also requires a quiet display level (the Basic or None display setting). For more information, see Run arbitrary commands with 2007 Office system installations.