How to supply Office 2000 Product Key through GPO

[Ihab Abedrabbo]

Hi
I'm using Windows 2000 GPO to deploy Office 2000 to all
clients in my domain. Office 2000 is ASSIGNED to computers
of our domain. The installation goes OK when the client
boots up and contacts the DC. Users can see all Office
2000 shorcuts/components on their clients.

I have the PRODUCT KEY for Office 2000 written on the back
of the original installation CD-ROM. Before deploying
Office 2000 using GPO, a technician used to go personally
to each client/user and install the product classically
through the setup process...etc during which the
technician is asked to insert the product key.

Now that Office 2000 is deployed through GPO, and
installed perfectly on each machine, Office prompts me to
insert the product key just as soon as I open for the
first time any Office 2000 document/application.

Question:
Is there a way to insert the Product Key automatically in
the GPO or a configuration file, so that users won't get
prompted to insert this key?

Appreciate your help.

Thanks

 

[Andrew Mitchell]

Question:
Is there a way to insert the Product Key automatically in
the GPO or a configuration file, so that users won't get
prompted to insert this key?

If you use the Custom Installation Wizard in the Office Resource Kit to make
a tranform (.mst) file, it gives you the option to enter your product key
there. Then you just provide the path to the .mst file within the GPO and
away you go......

Andy.

 

[pc]

Indeed there is, I have used to to roll out Outlook 2003 using GPO.

The command is:

msiexec /a [msi file] PIDKEY="[CD key]

So for example....

msiexec /a d:\outlook\outlook.msi PIDKEY="YOUR KEY WITH NO SPACES OR DASHES"

You will be asked where you weant to install it, it wont actaully install
out but create a new set of insatll files that you would then use to deploy
via GPO.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

PC.

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Andy,

This may or may not work. I have never done it this way.

The prescribed way is to initially do an Administrative installation of
Office 2000 ( or XP or 2003 for that matter ) and use this as the source.
You do an administrative installation by running setup.exe /a and using a
shared network location as the 'destination'. When doing the administrative
installation Ihab would be prompted once for the Product ID and never again.
When creating the GPO package Ihab would simply point to the data1.msi file
via the UNC format ( \\server\share\data1.msi ) and AD does the rest.

Using a .mst file does not allow you to enter the Product ID ( IIRC ).
Furthermore, I am not sure that you can make use of the .mst files after the
fact. I am pretty sure that you have to do an Advanced Publish or Advanced
Assign and stipulate the .mst files to be used at the time that you are
creating the GPO. Either way, if Ihab did not specifically set up Advanced
Publish or Advanced Assign then the .mst files are not available at all....

HTH,

Cary

 

[Andrew Mitchell]

Andy,

This may or may not work. I have never done it this way.

The prescribed way is to initially do an Administrative installation of
Office 2000 ( or XP or 2003 for that matter ) and use this as the
source. You do an administrative installation by running setup.exe /a
and using a shared network location as the 'destination'. When doing
the administrative installation Ihab would be prompted once for the
Product ID and never again. When creating the GPO package Ihab would
simply point to the data1.msi file via the UNC format (
\\server\share\data1.msi ) and AD does the rest.

Using a .mst file does not allow you to enter the Product ID ( IIRC ).

You may be correct there. In using the Custom Installation Wizard you first
have to create the Admin Installation point, so it could have been there that
I set the product ID. It was a long time ago.......


Andy.

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

PC,

I would suggest that while this may work it might not be the best method in
the long term. I would suggest using an Administrative Installation Point
( usually accomplished by running setup.exe /a and choosing a shared network
location as the 'destination' ) and then using GPO to distribute this to the
clients. Outlook - regardless if it is being installed alone or as a part
of Office 2000/XP/2003 - can also benefit from the custom installation
wizard as you can specify all of the 'Exchange' related information as well
as from specific .adm files that allow you to make the changes at one
location instead of having to manually enter them on each and every
installation.

Another benefit of the AIP/GPO approach is that you can apply Service Packs
and 'hotfixes' ( probably the incorrect term ) to the AIP and then choose to
'redeploy application' which will automagically deploy the 'updated' GPO
software package again to the users or computers ( depending on how this was
set up ) either at the next log off / log on or reboot. A very nice feature
indeed!

HTH,

Cary

PS. This is very useful information to have, though.

Indeed there is, I have used to to roll out Outlook 2003 using GPO.

The command is:

msiexec /a [msi file] PIDKEY="[CD key]

So for example....

msiexec /a d:\outlook\outlook.msi PIDKEY="YOUR KEY WITH NO SPACES OR DASHES"

You will be asked where you weant to install it, it wont actaully install
out but create a new set of insatll files that you would then use to deploy
via GPO.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

PC.

Hi
I'm using Windows 2000 GPO to deploy Office 2000 to all
clients in my domain. Office 2000 is ASSIGNED to computers
of our domain. The installation goes OK when the client
boots up and contacts the DC. Users can see all Office
2000 shorcuts/components on their clients.

I have the PRODUCT KEY for Office 2000 written on the back
of the original installation CD-ROM. Before deploying
Office 2000 using GPO, a technician used to go personally
to each client/user and install the product classically
through the setup process...etc during which the
technician is asked to insert the product key.

Now that Office 2000 is deployed through GPO, and
installed perfectly on each machine, Office prompts me to
insert the product key just as soon as I open for the
first time any Office 2000 document/application.

Question:
Is there a way to insert the Product Key automatically in
the GPO or a configuration file, so that users won't get
prompted to insert this key?

Appreciate your help.

Thanks

 

[pc]

The command I mentioned creates a new set of install files which then can be
used to distribute via GP. The command does not actually install the Office
appilcation. If the install is an upgrade it will migrate the user
'exchange' information.

Maybe I didn't make it clear...sorry.

Thanks,

PC>

PC,

I would suggest that while this may work it might not be the best method in
the long term. I would suggest using an Administrative Installation Point
( usually accomplished by running setup.exe /a and choosing a shared network
location as the 'destination' ) and then using GPO to distribute this to the
clients. Outlook - regardless if it is being installed alone or as a part
of Office 2000/XP/2003 - can also benefit from the custom installation
wizard as you can specify all of the 'Exchange' related information as well
as from specific .adm files that allow you to make the changes at one
location instead of having to manually enter them on each and every
installation.

Another benefit of the AIP/GPO approach is that you can apply Service Packs
and 'hotfixes' ( probably the incorrect term ) to the AIP and then choose to
'redeploy application' which will automagically deploy the 'updated' GPO
software package again to the users or computers ( depending on how this was
set up ) either at the next log off / log on or reboot. A very nice feature
indeed!

HTH,

Cary

PS. This is very useful information to have, though.

Indeed there is, I have used to to roll out Outlook 2003 using GPO.

The command is:

msiexec /a [msi file] PIDKEY="[CD key]

So for example....

msiexec /a d:\outlook\outlook.msi PIDKEY="YOUR KEY WITH NO SPACES OR DASHES"

You will be asked where you weant to install it, it wont actaully install
out but create a new set of insatll files that you would then use to deploy
via GPO.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

PC.

Hi
I'm using Windows 2000 GPO to deploy Office 2000 to all
clients in my domain. Office 2000 is ASSIGNED to computers
of our domain. The installation goes OK when the client
boots up and contacts the DC. Users can see all Office
2000 shorcuts/components on their clients.

I have the PRODUCT KEY for Office 2000 written on the back
of the original installation CD-ROM. Before deploying
Office 2000 using GPO, a technician used to go personally
to each client/user and install the product classically
through the setup process...etc during which the
technician is asked to insert the product key.

Now that Office 2000 is deployed through GPO, and
installed perfectly on each machine, Office prompts me to
insert the product key just as soon as I open for the
first time any Office 2000 document/application.

Question:
Is there a way to insert the Product Key automatically in
the GPO or a configuration file, so that users won't get
prompted to insert this key?

Appreciate your help.

Thanks

 

[pc]

Here's a link......

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;x223393&sd=tech