You can use several optional command-line switches with the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup program. These optional command-line switches control how the Setup program operates. This article lists the switches and describes the functionality of each switch.

Back to the top

The following command-line switches and options are used with the Setup command line. By using command-line options, an administrator can control how programs that use the Microsoft Windows Installer package (.msi files) and the transforms (.mst files) install software applications.

If you plan to use several Setup properties, type them in the Setup settings file (Setup.ini) to reduce the chance of encountering a command-line length limitation.

For more information about Setup switches and properties, see the Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit. To view the Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Back to the top

Important Notes

•	Switches and options are not case sensitive. For example, /A is the same as /a.
•	Except where specifically noted, you can use these switches only when you perform an initial installation of Office 2003.
•	If you use a Setup command-line option that is also used in the Setup settings file (Setup.ini) or in the transform (.mst file), the command-line switch typically takes precedence.
•	The Windows Installer package (.msi file) must be in the same folder as Setup.exe. When you install Microsoft Office, the Windows Installer package must be in the root folder of the administrative installation point.
•	When you use multiple switches, separate them with a blank space. For example, use the following command line to use a specific installer file and write the results to a log file: Setup /i Pro11.msi /l* c:\logfile.txt
•	When Setup.exe ends, it sets %errorlevel% if an error was encountered. If the user cancels the setup process, the error level that is returned is zero (0), indicating that no error occurred.

Back to the top

/a msifile

The /a msifile switch creates an administrative installation point for the specified package (.msi file). The package must be in the same folder as Setup.exe; both the package and Setup.exe must be at the root of the administrative installation point.
Example:

•	/a My.msi
•	/a "subfolder1\My.msi"

Back to the top

/f optionsmsifile

The /f optionsmsifile switch forces repair of a program that is associated with the specified package (.msi file). The package must be in the same folder as Setup.exe; both the package and Setup.exe must be at the root of the administrative installation point. Alternatively, you can specify the product code for the package. You can copy the product code from the Product section of the Setup settings file.
Note You must specify the same package that was used to install the program originally.

Valid values for options include the following:

Switch	Description
a	Force reinstallation of all files regardless of checksum or version.
c	Reinstall file if missing or corrupted.
d	Reinstall file if missing or a different version is present.
e	Reinstall file if missing or an equal or older version is present.
m	Rewrite all required HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry entries.
o	Reinstall file if missing or an older version is present.
p	Reinstall file only if missing.
s	Reinstall all shortcuts and overwrite existing shortcuts.
u	Rewrite all required HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry entries.
v	Retrieve the package from the original source and recache it on the local computer.

Important If a user applies a client (binary) update to a computer, you cannot use the /f switch to recache and reinstall on that computer from an updated administrative installation point. In this case, users must remove and reinstall from the updated administrative image.

Example:

•	/focums My.msi
•	/fvm {12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789123}

Back to the top

/i msifile

The /i msifile switch installs applications using the specified package. The package must be in the same folder as Setup.exe.
Note By default, Setup.exe directs Windows Installer to perform the same function as /i.

Example:

•	/i My.msi
•	/i "subfolder1\My.msi"

Back to the top

/j option msifile /t mstfile

The /j option msifile /t mstfile switch advertises the program on the computer and installs the program on first use. You must specify an option to advertise the program to either the computer or the user. You can use the /j switch only when you run the setup from an administrative installation point or an image of the CD on the network. If no package is specified, the setup uses the package specified in Setup.ini. To apply a transform to the advertised program, use the /t switch and specify an .mst file.
Valid values for option include the following:

Switch	Description
m	Advertise to all users on the computer.
u	Advertise to the current user.

Note In addition to /t, you can use the following three command-line options when you use /j to advertise the program: /l, /q, and /settings.

Example:

•	/jm My.msi /t Custom.mst

Back to the top

/l optionslogfile

The /l optionslogfile switch creates a log of installation actions for the setup process and a log file for each Windows Installer task. The /l switch also overrides default settings specified in the Logging section of Setup.ini.
Values for this option include the following and capture the corresponding data:

Switch	Description
a	Start of action notification
c	Initial UI parameters
e	Error messages
i	Information-only messages
m	Out-of-memory messages
o	Out-of-disk-space messages
p	Property table list in form property=value
r	Action data record; contains action-specific information
u	User request messages
v	Verbose includes debug messages
w	Warning messages
*	Turn on all logging options except v
+	Append to existing log file
!	Writes each line to the log file. The default behavior is to cache 20 lines of log file text into memory and then write 20 lines to the log file at the same time. This is done to improve performance.

Logfile signifies the name and path of the log file to create. When you include (*) in the log file name, the setup process creates a unique file name for each instance of the setup process.

Example: /lv* "%temp%\MyApp Setup(*).txt"
This command line creates the following log files:

•	Setup.exe log file "%temp%\MyAppSetup(0001).txt"
•	Windows Installer log file for core packages "%temp%\MyApp(0001)_Task(0001).txt"

Back to the top

/m .mif file

The /m switch specifies an SMS .mif file name of 8 characters or less.

Note Do not include the .mif file name extension with the file name. If you do, the command will return the following error: "Invalid command line."

Back to the top

/noreboot

The /noreboot switch specifies to not restart the computer or display a restart dialog box at the end of the installation. The /noreboot option sets the Windows Installer REBOOT property to ReallySuppress for each package included in the installation except the last one.

Back to the top

/p mspfile

The /p mspfile switch specifies to apply an administrative update (MSP file) to a client installation. You can also use the /p to apply an update to an administrative installation by including the /a option and the name and path of the .msi file on the administrative installation point. To apply the update quietly, include /qb on the command line to generate a log file, include /l.

Example:

•	msiexec /p mspfile /qb /loptions
•	msiexec /p mspfile /a msifile/qb /l options

Back to the top

/q option

Set the Setup user interface display level.
Valid values for options include the following:

Switch	Description
b	Display only simple progress indicators and error messages (basic).
f	Display all dialog boxes and messages; equivalent to omitting the /q option (full)
n	Display no user interface; equivalent to specifying /q with no options (none).
r	Display all progress indicators and error messages but collect no user information (reduced).
-	Suppress all modal dialog boxes; used only with b.
+	Add completion message to the n or b option.

Note The completion message appears only when the setup process does not have to restart the computer after the installation.

Back to the top

/settings file

The /settings file switch specifies a custom Setup settings file for Setup.exe to use instead of Setup.ini. The settings file must be in the same folder as Setup.exe, or the path must be included on the command line.
Example:/settings MyApp.ini /x [msifile]

Back to the top

/wait

Wait for the installation to complete before you quit the Setup program.

Back to the top

/x msifile

The /x msifile switch removes the program associated with the specified package. The package must be in the same folder as Setup.exe, and both must be at the root of the administrative installation point. Note You must specify the same package that was used to install the program originally. Example:: /x My.msi

Back to the top

property=value

Specify a property value on the command line. If the value contains spaces, enclose it in quotation marks ("). To specify two or more property-value pairs, separate them with spaces. The following are examples of this switch:

ALLUSERS=string	Install program for all users of the computer or for only the current user. By default, Windows Installer installs for all users of the computer. Setting ALLUSERS to a null value ("") overrides this default behavior and installs per user. 1= Install for all users of the computer; requires administrative credentials. 2= Install for all users of the computer. "" = Install only for the user running the setup process. ALLUSER=""
CDCACHE=string	Specify the level of caching. Auto= cache based on available disk space 1= cache only what you install 2= cache all of the source 0= cache disabled CDCACHE= auto
COMPANYNAME=string	Specify an organization name. COMPANYNAME=My Business
INSTALLLOCATION=string	Specify the installation location. INSTALLLOCATION=C:\Program Files\MyApp
LOCALCACHEDRIVE=string	Specify the drive that the installation files will be cached to. LOCALCACHEDRIVE=C
PIDKEY=string	Enter a 25-character volume license key on the Setup command line or in the Setup settings file. When you set the PIDKEY property, users do not have to enter a product key when they install. PIDKEY=123467890123456789012345
TRANSFORMS=string	Specify a transform to apply to the installation. TRANSFORMS=\\server\share\myApp\Custom.mst
USERNAME=string	Specify a default user name.

Back to the top