ConfigMgr 2007: Office 2007 Install Software task fails in an SCCM 2007 OSD Task Sequence

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Here's a good tip from Frank Rojas, one of our Senior Support Engineers from Charlotte, North Carolina.  This one concerns installing Office 2007 as an Install Software task in an OSD Task Sequence so if you either planning on doing this or are trying it now and having trouble, check this out:

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Issue: When trying to deploy Office 2007 via an SCCM 2007 OSD Task Sequence, the installation of Office 2007 fails or times out. The SMSTS.log may not indicate what the exact problem is. The Office 2007 setup logs in the %WINDIR%\Temp folder
also do not indicate any errors or what is causing the problem, but the Office setup logs do tend to be short and do not contain much data, making it appear that the installation did not progress very far.

Cause: This issue is caused by the Office 2007 installation not being set up to properly run silently during the Install Software task. As with any software being deployed via SMS/SCCM, the installation needs to be set up to run silently if being run
within a Task Sequence or if no user interaction is needed or desired. Normally, this is done by adding switches that add silent install options to the install executable (normally /S or /qn). However, in the case of Office 2007, this is controlled by the MSP file created by the Office Customization Tool (OCT).

Resolution: Create a MSP file that will run the Office 2007 setup silently.  To do this follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the original package source that contains the Office 2007 setup files
  2. From the directory that contains the Office 2007 setup files, run setup.exe /admin.  This should open the Office Customization Toolkit (OCT)
  3. Select to Create a new Setup customization file
  4. On the left hand pane, click on Licensing and user interface
  5. On the right hand side, set Display level to none
  6. On the right hand side, clear the Completion notice and Suppress modal check boxes and make sure they are NOT checked
  7. Save the MSP file by going to File --> Save. Give the file a name and save it to the Updates folder located in the Office 2007 installation source folder. By saving it to the Updates folder, the /adminfile switch will not need to be used as part of setup.exe. If the file is not saved to the Updates folder, make sure that the /adminfile switch is used as part of setup.exe and that it points to the MSP file just created.

Other changes can be made to the Office 2007 installation using the Office Customization Tool and saved as part of the MSP file., however the above settings are required in order for the Office 2007 installation to run silently. 

To edit an existing MSP file that will run the Office 2007 setup silently follow these steps:

  1. Go to the original package source that contains the Office 2007 setup files
  2. From the directory that contains the Office 2007 setup files, run setup.exe /admin.  This should open the Office Customization Toolkit (OCT)
  3. Select Open an existing Setup customization file. The MSP file is usually in the Updates folder of the Office 2007 installation source. The path to this file can also be given using the /adminfile switch of setup.exe. If you cannot locate the existing MSP file, you may want to check the Program properties in the Office 2007 Package to see if this switch has been used. If this switch has been used, it will point to where the MSP file is located.
  4. On the left hand pane, click on Licensing and user interface
  5. On the right hand side, set Display level to none
  6. On the right hand side, clear the Completion notice and Suppress modal check boxes and make sure they are NOT checked
  7. Save the updated MSP file by going to File --> Save. It is recommended that the MSP file be saved in the Updates folder of the Office 2007 installation source folder so that the /adminfile switch does not need to be used as part of setup.exe.

Other changes can be made to the Office 2007 installation using the Office Customization Tool and saved as part of the MSP file, however just like above, these settings are required in order for the Office 2007 installation to run silently.

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Thanks Frank!

J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer