Description of the Setup logging options in Office 2003

This article describes the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup logging options, how to use default and custom logging options, and how to set these options in the Microsoft Windows Registry.

Description of logging options

The Microsoft Office 2003 Setup program automatically creates log files in your Temporary folder. The log files have names that are similar to the following:



The nnnn characters in the log file names are numbers that start with 0001. They increment by 1 if you have to run the Setup program multiple times. Therefore, the log file that has the highest number is the log file for the last time that you ran the Setup program.

The following table lists the logging options that are available that you can use with the /L switch of the Windows Installer.

Use default Windows Installer logging

When you run the Office 2003 Setup program for the first time, logging is not verbose by default as was the case with Microsoft Office XP Setup. Initial logging options are already defined for the Windows Installer process (for example, Type=PIWAEO), as specified in the [Logging] section of the Setup.ini file. You can override the default logging options by using a custom command line or by modifying the Setup.ini file.

Note If the first installation try fails, verbose logging by using the Type=VOICEWARMUP setting in the Setup.ini file is enabled for any subsequent attempts to successfully complete an installation of Office 2003.

Use custom logging options

There are two ways that you can customize the logging parameters that are used to create a Windows Installer log file. You can use a custom command line, or you can modify the Setup.ini file.

Use a custom command line

You can use any combination of parameters with the /L switch. The only requirement for this switch is that you also specify a path and a file name for your log files.

The following is a sample command line:

Modify the Setup.ini file

The Setup.ini file contains a [Logging] section that you can modify to create a custom set of logging options. To change the default logging parameters for *v, modify the Type= line in the Setup.ini file. For example, change the Type= line that is similar to the following:You can also specify a path for your log files by creating a Path= line in the [Logging] section. For example, if you create the following entry in the [Logging] section, the Logfiles folder is created on the root of your C drive (if it does not already exist), and any log files that were created during the Office installation will be created in this folder:

If you modify the Setup.ini file in the Files\Setup folder of your administrative installation, you do not need a custom command line. However, if you rename the modified Setup.ini file, or it is located in a location other than the Files\Setup folder of your Office installation, use a command line that is similar to the following to reference the new settings file:In this example, path is the path of the Setup program, Servername is the server, and Share is the share on the server.

Use Maintenance mode or install on first use logging

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Logging does not occur when you run the Office Setup program after Office has already been successfully installed. For example, if the Setup program runs because a feature is being installed on demand (it was originally set to Install on First Use), or you click Detect and Repair on the Help menu, the logging will not occur.

If you want to log either of these two situations, you can turn on logging by making the following changes in the Windows Registry:

1. Quit all programs that are running.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. In Registry Editor, click the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
5. With the Installer key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click String Value.
6. Type Logging, and then press ENTER.
7. With the Logging value selected, click Modify on the Edit menu.
8. In the Value data box, type the setup logging options that you want (for example, type voicewarmup), and then click OK.
9. On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.

When you turn on logging by using the registry, the logging file that is created is named MSInnnnn.log, where nnnnn is a random set of five alphanumeric characters. The file is stored in the Temp folder. Because a new MSInnnnn.log file is created whenever the Windows Installer runs, the use of this registry modification must be strictly controlled.

For more information about how to turn on logging in the Windows Registry, visit the following Microsoft Web site: