Installing Office 2000 in a Windows Terminal Server Environment

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You install Microsoft Office 2000 from Microsoft Office 2000 Disc 1 on a Microsoft Windows Terminal Server computer in much the same way you install Office on a client computer. With some careful planning and a few modifications, Office performs well in the Windows Terminal Server environment.

To run Office 2000 in this environment, follow these steps:

  1. Customize the Terminal Server transform (MST file).

  2. Install Office on the Terminal Server computer.

  3. Set default Office application settings for Windows Terminal Client users.

  4. Configure Microsoft Outlook 2000.

Running Office on individual users' computers is different from running it in a Terminal Server environment. When you install Office on a Terminal Server computer, the users who connect to the server are limited to your Office configuration and cannot install or remove features.

In other words, all users running Office from the Terminal Server computer inherit the features you select during installation. If your users need different sets of Office functionality, you might need several Terminal Server computers — one for each unique Office configuration.

Because of the multiuser nature of the Terminal Server computer, and users' restricted access to the server, you cannot select the following installation options for any Office features:

  1. Run from CD or Run from Network

  2. Run all from CD or Run all from Network

  3. Installed on First Use

Instead, you must predetermine which Office features your users need and select one of the following installation options for each feature:

  1. Run from My Computer

  2. Run all from My Computer

  3. Not Available

Customize the Terminal Server transform

The Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit includes a Windows installer transform that you must use when installing Office on the Terminal Server computer – Setup does not install Office on the Terminal Server computer without the transform. This transform, named TermSrvr.mst, is configured to install all Office features to run from the local computer or not be installed at all.

Toolbox Because of the special requirements for running Office in a Windows Terminal Server environment, you must use the transform provided in the Office Resource Kit to install Office on the Terminal Server computer. Office Setup does not install Office on the Terminal Server computer without this transform. For information about installing TermSrvr.mst, see Office 2000 Resource Kit Toolbox.

What the TermSrvr.mst file does

The Windows installer transform included in the Office Resource Kit, TermSrvr.mst, is configured to install Office correctly on the Terminal Server computer. Office Setup does not install Office on the Terminal Server computer without this transform.

The primary function of the TermSrvr.mst file is to modify the feature tree so that all Office features are installed to run from the local computer. There are a few exceptions – those features that are not recommended or that do not perform well in the Terminal Server environment are set to not be installed at all.

In addition, the NOUSERNAME property is set so that Setup does not supply a default user name when you install Office on the Terminal Server computer. This setting ensures that users who log on to the Terminal Server computer are asked to provide a user name when they run an Office application for the first time. This property is set internally in the transform – if you examine the transform with the Custom Installation Wizard, you do not see the NOUSERNAME property listed on the Modify Setup Properties panel.

The TermSrvr.mst file also sets a property to increase the amount of registry space allocated for Office on the Terminal Server computer. This setting allows Office to store necessary information in the registry for each Office user. Again, this property is not listed on the Modify Setup Properties panel.

In the TermSrvr.mst file, all Office features are set to one of the following installation states:

  1. Most features are set to Run from My Computer.

    These are features that work well in the Terminal Server environment.

  2. A few features are set to Not Available.

    These are features that do not perform well in the Terminal Server environment, typically because they use additional animation that generates excess data traffic between the Terminal Server computer and the Terminal Client computer. Consider leaving these features set to Not Available so that they are not installed.

  3. A few features are set to both Not Available and Hidden.

    These features do not work under Terminal Server because they rely on capabilities not available in this environment or they require write access to restricted areas of the Terminal Server computer. Leave these features set to Not Available so that they are not installed on the Terminal Server computer.

  4. Some features are set to Run from My Computer and Hidden.

    These are features that are normally hidden in the Office Setup feature tree, but they have been exposed in the Custom Installation Wizard so that you can choose whether you want to install them.

Toolbox A number of Outlook features, normally hidden in the Office Setup feature tree, are exposed in the Terminal Server transform. This arrangement allows you to choose whether to install these features. The Office Resource Kit includes an Excel worksheet named OutlFeat.xls that describes these Outlook features. For information about installing OutlFeat.xls, see Office 2000 Resource Kit Toolbox.

If you want to accept the default Office configuration, you do not need to modify TermSrvr.mst. However, if there are Office features that are not needed by your users, you can improve overall performance and conserve disk space by customizing TermSrvr.mst so that Office Setup does not install these features on the Terminal Server computer.

Installing nonEnglish versions of Office

The TermSrvr.mst file was created using the Windows installer package (Data1.msi) for the US English version of Office 2000. Some other language versions of Office have additional features that are not present in the US English version, and the TermSrvr.mst file does not change the installation states of those features. If any of these additional features are set to Run from Network or Installed on First Use, then they do not function correctly on the Terminal Server computer.

To install a nonEnglish version of Office on a Terminal Server computer, use the Office Custom Installation Wizard to make sure that all features in the transform are set to either Run from My Computer or Not Available.

To customize the Terminal Server transform

  1. Start the Office Custom Installation Wizard.

  2. On the Open the MSI File panel, specify the Office MSI file, Data1.msi.

  3. On the Open the MST File panel, select Open an existing MST file and enter the file name and path of the TermSrvr.mst file.

  4. On the Select the MST File to Save panel, enter the file name and path of the TermSrvr.mst file.

    If you do not want to modify the original MST file, then you can enter a new file name for the wizard to create.

  5. On the Set Feature Installation States panel, set unneeded features to Not Available.

    Make sure that all features that you want to install are set to Run from My Computer.

  6. If you are installing Outlook, under Microsoft Outlook for Windows\OutlookMessaging, select either OutlookMAPI or OutlookOMI; set one feature to Run from My Computer and the other feature to Not Available.

  7. On the Customize Outlook Installation Options panel, select Customize Outlook profile and account information and set Configuration Type to either Corporate or Workgroup Settings or Internet Only Settings.

    This choice must match your choice in Step 5. If you select OutlookMAPI, you must select Corporate or Workgroup Settings; if you select OutlookOMI, you must select Internet Only Settings. Because users are restricted in how they can configure the Terminal Server computer after installation, you must make this selection during installation.

  8. On the remainder of the panels, make additional customizations to tailor the Office installation on the Terminal Server computer.

    For example, to fully customize how Internet Explorer 5 is installed, click Customize on the Customize IE5 Installation Options panel.

Toolbox By default, the Terminal Server transform (TermSrvr.mst) does not install any Office Assistants. However, after running Office Setup you can install the Motionless Office Assistant (Stillogo.acs) included in the Office Resource Kit. This Office Assistant uses no animation, so there is minimal network traffic between the Terminal Server computer and the Terminal Client computer. For information about installing the Motionless Office Assistant, see see Terminal Server Tools in theOffice 2000 Resource Kit Toolbox.

Install Office on the Terminal Server computer

To install Office, run Office Setup on the Terminal Server computer. You can run Setup from a network administrative installation point or from the Office Disc 1. You must specify the Terminal Server transform (TermSrvr.mst) and additional command-line options.

Note: Before you install Office on a Terminal Server computer, log on to the server with administrator privileges.

To install Office Disc 1 on the Terminal Server computer

  1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Install, and then click Next.

  2. Click Browse.

  3. In the root folder of the Office Disc 1, select setup.exe and click OK.

    Setup.exe is added to the Command line for installation program box.

  4. On the command line, add the following two commands after setup.exe, separated by spaces:

    TRANSFORMS=" path\TermSrvr.mst"

    This command identifies the Terminal Server transform for Setup to use during installation. Specify the correct path to the MST file.

    /l* "%WINDIR%\Office 2000 Setup(0001).txt"

    This optional command places the Setup log file in the Windows folder, rather than in the %TEMP% folder, so that it is not deleted automatically by Windows.

  5. Click Next

  6. In Add/Remove Programs, select All users begin with common application settings, and then click Next to run Office Setup.

Important: You must use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel with the All users begin with common application settings option selected. This setting runs Setup in Install mode, which installs Office for all Terminal Client users who connect to the Terminal Server computer. If you run Setup directly from Office Disc 1, then Setup runs in Execute mode, which installs Office only for the user running Setup.

Set default Office application settings

You can use the Profile Wizard to customize the default Office user settings for all users logging on to the Terminal Server computer. For best performance in this environment, consider setting the following options in Office applications.

Microsoft Access 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

  2. On the Tools menu and then click Customize. Remove the Detect and Repair command from the Help menu.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. Clear the Provide feedback with sound check box.

Microsoft Excel 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

  2. On the Tools menu and then click Customize. Remove the Detect and Repair command from the Help menu.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab. Clear the Provide feedback with animation check box.

  4. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. Clear the Provide feedback with sound check box.

Microsoft FrontPage 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

Microsoft Outlook 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

  2. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Commands tab. Remove the Save as Web Page command from the File menu, and remove the Detect and Repair command from the Help menu.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab. Click Advanced Options and clear the Provide feedback with sound check box.

  4. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Preferences tab. Click E-mail Options and clear the Display a notification message when new mail arrives check box.

  5. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Preferences tab. Click E-mail Options, click Advanced E-mail Options, and clear the Play a sound and Briefly change the mouse cursor check boxes.

  6. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Preferences tab. Click Calendar Options and clear the Use Microsoft Schedule+ as my primary calendar check box.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

  2. On the Tools menu and then click Customize. Remove the Detect and Repair command from the Help menu.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. Clear the Provide feedback with sound to screen elements check box.

  4. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling and Style tab. Clear the Check spelling as you type check box.

  5. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. Click Web Options, click the General tab, and clear the Show slide animation while browsing check box.

Microsoft Word 2000

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize and then click the Options tab. Set the Menu animations option to None.

  2. On the Tools menu and then click Customize. Remove the Detect and Repair command from the Help menu.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab. Clear the Provide feedback with animation and Provide feedback with sound check boxes.

  4. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling and Grammar tab. Clear the Check grammar as you type check box.

After you customize all the application settings you want, run the Profile Wizard and save your settings in an OPS file. Store the OPS file in a folder that is accessible to users running Office from the Terminal Server computer.

To point users to your customized settings

  1. On the Start menu, click Run, and type regedit.exe to open the Windows Registry Editor.

  2. Create a new subkey named RunOnce in the following subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version

  3. In the RunOnce subkey, create a new entry with a string value and any value name.

  4. Set the value of the new entry to the following:

    path\Proflwiz.exe /r file**/q**

    where path is the fully qualified path to the Profile Wizard, and file is the file name and fully qualified path to the OPS file you created.

When users log on to the Terminal Server computer, Windows runs the Profile Wizard using the command line in the RunOnce subkey and restores the settings you saved in the OPS file. This command runs one time for each user the first time the user logs on to the Terminal Server computer.

Configure Microsoft Outlook 2000

To complete the installation of Outlook 2000, you need to perform two additional steps after running Office Setup. First: run Outlook 2000 once; and second, optionally provide write access to a portion of the Windows registry.

Outlook 2000 performs a number of initialization tasks when it runs for the first time on the Terminal Server computer. These tasks complete the Outlook installation and require write access to system areas on the Terminal Server computer.

To allow Outlook to finish installing

  1. Before any user runs Outlook on the Terminal Server computer, log on to the Terminal Server computer as the administrator.

  2. Run Outlook.

    Outlook completes any remaining installation tasks.

  3. Exit Outlook.

By default, users have write access to all portions of the Windows registry on the Terminal Server computer. However, if you have any custom Outlook forms installed on the computer, and you have configured the Windows registry on the Terminal Server computer to restrict user access, then you need to make sure that users have write access to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \CLSID key in the Windows registry.

Outlook registers custom forms the first time that they are opened, and this requires that the user have write access to this portion of the registry.

To give users write access to the CLSID key

  1. Log on to the Terminal Server computer as the administrator.

  2. On the Start menu, click Run.

  3. Type regedt32.exe and click OK.

  4. In the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT window, select CLSID.

  5. On the Security menu, click Permissions.

  6. In the Registry Key Permissions dialog box, select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys check box, and then click Add.

  7. In the Name box, click Everyone, click Add, and then click OK.

    If you do not want to give all users this access, you can add specific users or groups of users in the Names box, rather than selecting Everyone.

  8. In the Type of Access box, select Special Access, and then select the Query Value, Set Value, and Create Subkey check boxes.

  9. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.