Installing Office 2019 Volume License

Office 2019 Volume License installation has a new installation process.  Here's the process I've successfully used.

1. Download the Office Deployment Tool from here:
   https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49117
2. Create a new file called config.xml in the folder with the decompressed contents of the Office Deployment tool with the content referenced at the bottom of this post.  Make sure to add your own Office license MAK key in the PIDKEY area.
3. From a DOS prompt, navigate to the folder where the files are stored and run:
   setup.exe /download config.xml 
4. Wait 30 minutes
5. From a DOS prompt, navigate to the folder where the files are stored and run:
   setup.exe /configure config.xml

Get the content for the confg.xml file from here:
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2164757-office-2019-no-msi-to-install-how-do-i-install-it

Office 2016 won't activate with valid volume license key

If Office 2016 (pre-installed or even a volume license that has been installed and then later been update) won't activate - here's the problem and the fix.

What it looks like is that you choose to enter a product key, but then Office still won't activate.  The problem is that the system still thinks there's a trial version on the system.

Here's the fix . . .

Run this from an elevated command prompt:

(on a 32 bit system):
cscript.exe "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.vbs" /dstatus

(on a 64 bit system)
cscript.exe "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.vbs" /dstatus

You'll often see something like this (note that there are two versions listed here and one of them is in a grace period):

We can see that the trial version (in grace period) is on there simultaneously with our activated version.  The fix is to remove the trial version's license.  Here's the command to remove the trial version:

(on a 32 bit system):
cscript.exe "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.vbs" /unpkey:KHGM9

(on a 64 bit system)
cscript.exe "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.vbs" /unpkey:KHGM9


You might need to adjust the last 5 characters of the product key to match your specific situation.

Office 2010 Office Customization Tool (OCT) adjustments

This post documents the changes I make to the Office 2010 Customization Tool to get settings the way I like them.

Microsoft Outlook 2010 -> Outlook Options -> Preferences -> Junk E-Mail -> Enabled
Set to No Protection

Microsoft Outlook 2010 -> Outlook Options -> Other -> Autoarchive
Disable FileArchive -> Enabled

Microsoft Outlook 2010 -> Outlook Options -> Other -> Autoarchive
Autoarchive settings -> Enabled
Clear the box for Turn on Autoarchive

Microsoft Office 2010 -> Privacy -> Trust Settings
Disable Opt-in -> Enabled
Enable Customer Experience -> Enabled
Automatically receive -> Enabled

I also add shortcuts for Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to the desktop in Configure Shortcuts.

When using Office365 or Google Apps as I only do, I do not configure the mail profile.  Other than inserting the installation key in Licensing and User Interface, I don't make any changes.

Recovering lost Word (or other MS Office) documents

I'm adding a third tool to my chest on recovering MS Word (or other Office documents).

You can access ASD files (autorecover files) here:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word

Other places to look for missing files (per this post):
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook

Or via this method to recover unsaved Word docs:
http://t-solve.blogspot.com/2014/09/retrieving-document-from-office-2010.html

generic Windows icons for Office apps (in this case Office 2007 on Windows 7)

I've seen this twice and fixed it the same way both times. On the user's desktop, he/she has generic Windows icons instead of the typical Word or Outlook icons in the taskbar. Here's what that looks like:

I've been able to fix it each time with a batch file I found. Since I can't attach the batch file to this post, I'll put the text of the file here, since it's short:

@echo off

cls

echo The Explorer process must be killed to delete the Icon DB.

echo Please SAVE ALL OPEN WORK FIRST

pause

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F

echo Attempting to delete Icon DB...

If exist %userprofile%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db goto delID

echo Previous Icon DB not found...trying to build a new one

goto :main

:delID

cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local

del IconCache.db /a

pause

echo Icon DB successfully deleted

goto main

:main

echo Windows 7 must be restarted to rebuild the Icon DB.

echo Restart now? (Y/N):

set /p choice=

If %choice% == y goto end

echo Shutdown aborted...please close this window

explorer.exe

:end

shutdown /r /t 0

exit

Office 2007 Classic Menu Add-on

Here's an interesting free option I came across for adding the traditional menus to Office 2007.

http://www.bizzntech.com/2009/07/20/get-classic-menu-in-office-2007

storing product key in Office installation files

If storing the Office installation files on a network share - and using an open license for all your installs, it's prudent to store the product key in the install files so you don't have to enter it each time.

In Office 2003, it was stored in setup.ini - but in Office 2007, it's stored in config.xml in either a Enterprise.WW/ Standard.WW/ Pro.WW or ProPlus.WW folder - based on what version you're installing.

More info here:

http://www.bizzntech.com/2009/08/05/how-to-auto-enter-microsoft-office-2007-product-key-while-installation

removing metadata from Office documents

Metadata is information stored inside an Office document about the document's history. It includes data like who edited the document and for how long. It includes old file names, paths, and accepted track changes. You can see this metadata by clicking File -> Properties in Word 2003 or 2002. For a number of reasons, people like to remove metadata before sending files to clients - especially in the legal setting.

There are a number of pay tools that can remove metadata (you can just google metadata removal) in bulk from files, but Microsoft has a tool that can remove metadata from one file at a time. The Microsoft tool is free. You can obtain the free tool here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=144E54ED-D43E-42CA-BC7B-5446D34E5360&displaylang=en

Run the file your download and it will install an add-in to your Office programs. Here are Microsoft's instructions on using the tool:

------

After you install the Remove Hidden Data add-in, open the document you want to review then, on the File menu, click Remove Hidden Data.

Note: If you do not see the Remove Hidden Data command on the File menu, check the following:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Options, and then click the Security tab. 2. Under Macro Security, click Macro Security.

3. Click the Trusted Publishers tab.

4. Select the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, and then click OK twice.

Necessary steps in setting up a new computer

new computer setup

1) install drivers (if reformatting)

2) uninstall unnecessary programs (primarily Bing toolbar, pre-installed AV, pre-installed Office trials)

3) configure for Microsoft updates and install updates

4) connect to domain, naming computer appropriately

5) install Office

6) install updates again

7) install AV

8) configure Outlook

9) configure Outlook archiving

10) configure backup

11) set up printers

12) install miscellaneous programs - PDF995, WWAN software, Acrobat Reader/writer, NitroPDF

13) configure computer so that domain users are a member of the local administrators group

14) add/remove appropriate icons from desktop

15) copy data as necessary from previous computer - desktop, my docs, bookmarks, Outlook Address book

16) set up VPN

17) enable necessary remote access - TightVNC, remote desktop, Bomgar jumpoint, etc

18) install applicable IM client (Skype, Google Talk, etc)

19) if possible, disable WLAN card when wired connection is detected (definitely available for Dell branded WLAN cards)

uninstalling Office 2003

Long ago, I stopped installing Office from CDs. There were too many instances where I was doing something with Office (uninstalling, running it for the first time on a new profile, or accessing some feature) where it wanted the original install CDs. So I started either installing it from the network (for desktops) or installing it from a folder on the HD where I had copied all install files.

I thought that this problem went away with Office 2003 - so it did not ask for CDs after the original install. But twice in two weeks I was proven wrong. These were both on installs I did not do since I still to this day follow my Office install methods even though I had thought they were no longer necessary.

Anyway - in each ocassion, I was doing an uninstall, and it wanted the original install CDs. And of course, the god damn install files are different for an OEM CD and a retail CD. I'm just bitter because today I was doing an uninstall remotely and I had to retrieve about 30 CAB files remotely (I found this site - which was immensely helpful, even though it didn't have quite all the CAB files I needed, the rest I FTP'd to myself) - http://turbidvisions.com/misc/msoffice2003/

So the lesson for today is - keep installing from sources you will always have access to. You won't regret it.

storing Office CD key in setup.ini file

Doing Office installs became so much easier when I found that I could store the CD key in a way so that it would populate during the install so that I didn't have to type it in manually.

In x:\files\setup\setup.ini - find the [options] section and add in values as appropriate (you can also add company name, which is nice):

[Options]
; The option section is used for specifying individual Installer Properties.
USERNAME=User name
COMPANYNAME=Company name
PIDKEY=ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY


Please note the PIDKEY - which is the CD key is added with no dashes