How to deploy multiple Office products in a single installation in Office 2003

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SUMMARY

This article discusses how to deploy (or to chain) additional .msi packages or .exe files during the installation of Microsoft Office 2003. By default, you cannot deploy the installation of one Microsoft Office CD-ROM with another Office CD-ROM without running separate installations.

However, the Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit contains information about how to modify the Setup settings file (the Setup.ini file) so that you can chain several Microsoft Windows Installer products in a single installation.

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How to Chain Windows Installer Products

To chain installations of products that use the Windows Installer, follow the information that is in this section. If you want to add a non-Windows Installer product, such as Notepad.exe, you can also use the information that is in this section, or you can follow the steps that are provided in the "How to Chain Non-Windows Installer Products" section of this article.

Setup reads the Setup.ini file at the start of the installation process and writes a set of tasks to the Microsoft Windows registry to install each product that is listed in the [ChainedInstall_1] through [ChainedInstall_n] sections. By default, Setup passes the command-line options and properties that are defined for the core Office 2003 package to each chained installation. Setup then passes these chained installations to Windows Installer. However, you can set unique properties for a chained installation in the Setup.ini file by using the following syntax:

 
[ChainedInstall_1]
TaskType=msi
Path=\\server\share\admin_install_point\[MSI file]
Display=None
MST=[MST file]
Cmdline=property=value

For more information about the [ChainedInstall_n] section of the Setup.ini file, view the Specifying chained installations in Setup.ini section of the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2003/two/ch5/DepD02.htm#sub_1 (http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2003/two/ch5/DepD02.htm#sub_1)

Customize Chained Packages

In most sections of the Setup.ini file, including the [Options] section, you use the syntax property=value to specify custom property values. In the [ChainedInstall_n] sections, you can set both the Display and the MST values with the syntax property=value, and you can set several additional options that customize the installation process. However, you must use the Cmdline option to add other properties to the command line that Setup passes to Windows Installer for the chained installation.

You can set the following options for chained installations in the Setup.ini file:

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Option	Description
TaskName=`task_name`	Assigns a friendly name to the installation. Setup uses this name in the Setup log file. Optional.
TaskType=`task_type`	Identifies whether the chained installation is an .msi file or an executable file (such as an .exe file or a .bat file). Required.
Path=`path`	Specifies the relative or full path of the .msi file or of the executable file. Required.
Display=`setting`	Specifies a user interface display setting for the chained installation. Use a basic setting to display only progress indicators; use none for a completely silent installation. For more information about the display settings, see the [Display] entry in the reference topic “Setup Setting File” in the Office 2003 Resource Kit that is listed in the "References" section of this article. Note By default, chained installations inherit the display setting that is specified for the core Office package. Use this setting to override the default setting.
MST=`MSTfile`	Specifies the path and file name of a transform (MST file) to apply to the chained package (.msi file). Optional. Note You can specify only one transform with the MST option; to specify multiple transforms, add the TRANSFORMS property to the Cmdline entry.
Cmdline=`options`	Specifies other `property=value` pairs or command-line options that Setup passes to Windows Installer or an executable program during the call to install the chained package or program.
IgnoreReturnValue=[0\|1]	To continue installing successive chained installations even if this installation fails, set this property to 1. The default setting is 0. Note If you inadvertently enter an incorrect name or path for the .msi file, and Setup stops the installation process, neither the chained installation nor any subsequent chained installations are installed. This behavior occurs even if IgnoreReturnValue is set to 1.
Reboot=[0\|1]	To restart the computer after an installation is completed, set this option to 1. Setup restarts and then resumes the installation process.

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How to Chain Non-Windows Installer Products

If you want to add an executable (.exe) or batch file to the installation of Office 2003, you can also use a transform that is created by the Custom Installation Wizard (CIW).

Note You cannot chain the installation of any executable that uses a Windows Installer .msi package by using this method.

Install the Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit Tools from the Office 2003 Resource Kit.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit Tools, and then click Custom Installation Wizard.
In the Open the MSI File dialog box, select the .msi file from the root of your Office administrative installation. Click Next.
In the Add Installations and Run Programs dialog box, click Add.
In the Target box, type the path of the .exe file that you want to run at the end of the Office installation in the Add Program Entry dialog box.

Note You can also click Browse to locate and select the .exe file.
Click Help to determine which settings to use for the four options that are listed at the bottom of the Add Program Entry dialog box.
After you specify your settings in the Add Program Entry dialog box, click OK.
Complete the remaining dialog boxes that are in the CIW, and then click Finish.
Note the sample command-line in the last dialog box of the CIW, and then click Exit.