Office Resource Kit Tools

  • Article
On This Page

Custom Installation Wizard
Office Profile Wizard

Custom Installation Wizard

You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to make changes to the master installation in an .mst file without altering or resending the original Office XP source files. Because the original package is never altered, you can create a different transform file for every installation scenario you have. When you run setup with both the package and the transform file, Windows Installer applies the transform file to the original package, and Setup uses your .mst file to obtain the configuration for the installation. All of this can be done without building a new package, which minimizes bandwidth usage.

The Custom Installation Wizard is automatically installed on your computer when you install the Office XP Resource Kit. You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to visually build your transform files.

Office Profile Wizard

You can use the Microsoft Office Profile Wizard to save configuration settings for Office XP applications. These settings are saved in a profile settings file (.ops), which is a snapshot of registry settings and related files for an Office user configuration. Using the Profile Wizard, deployment experts can further configure the deployment of Office XP to include a wide range of settings. These settings are more detailed than the Custom Installation Wizard. For example, the Profile Wizard allows an administrator to configure a test system. The Profile Wizard then collects the registry information as the administrator configured it, and the resulting .ops file is embedded in an .mst file.

Using the Profile Wizard, the administrator can create a virtual image of the Office XP installation as it should be configured when it is deployed. With the Profile Wizard, the administrator captures all settings that represent a combination of registry settings and files providing a specific user with a customized working environment. Typical customizations are the use and alignment of toolbars, common menu options, and language or tool visibility. Many customizations are set in the Tools, Options or Tools, Customize menu option of most Office applications.

For More Information

Did you find this information useful? Please send your suggestions and comments about the documentation to smsdocs@microsoft.com.