How to include Windows registry values by using a transform (MST) file when you deploy Office XP

Most Office options correspond to entries in the Microsoft Windows registry. You can customize those options by adding or modifying registry values in a transform (MST) file. This article discusses how you can include Windows registry values in an Office XP deployment by using a transform file.

Include Windows Registry Values in a Transform

Setup applies customized default registry options when users install Office. Depending on which branch of the registry you customize, your settings are applied once per user (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) or once per computer (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).

In addition, you can add registry settings in order to customize options that cannot be set directly in the Office XP user interface and that are not captured by the Profile Wizard in an OPS file. For example, you can include custom applications in Office Setup that require custom Windows registry settings.

After Office Setup is completed, Windows Installer copies the registry entries that you added to the transform to users' computers. Options that you set by adding or modifying registry entries override the duplicate values that you set on other pages of the Custom Installation Wizard, including the following:

• Settings specified in an OPS file that is added to a transform
• Settings specified on the Change Office User Settings page (p.9)
• Options on the Outlook: Customize Default Settings page (p.20)
• Settings configured on the Specify Office Security Settings page (p.14)

You add or modify registry entries on the Add Registry Entries page (p.11) of the Custom Installation Wizard. You must know the complete path for each registry entry, as well as the value name and the data type for that entry.

To add Windows registry entries to a transform:

1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
2. Follow the instructions on each page, clicking Next to proceed.
3. On the Add Registry Entries page (p.11), click Add.
4. In the Root box, select the portion of the registry that you want to modify.
5. In the Data type box, type a data type for the new entry.
6. In the remaining boxes, type the full path for the registry entry that you want to add, type the value name and data, and then click OK.