This article contains information about VDI-in-a-Box Best Practices: Deploying Microsoft Office with Microsoft Office Customization Tool (OCT).

Requirements

• Specific knowledge and/or hardware and software requirements

• VDI-in-a-Box grid (any version up to 5.1)

• Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010

Background

This article describes how the OCT can lead to a better end-user experience with VDI-in-a-Box. This tool is available for Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010. In addition, the tool allows an administrator to configure all aspects of the Microsoft Office installation using a graphic user interface. The configuration can be saved and used to deploy MS Office on multiple golden images with minimal interaction.

Some of the primary benefits of this tool include pre-defined settings for all the MS Office applications, with Outlook being a primary candidate. The administrator can configure the Outlook Profile during the installation so that the users will be able to access their corporate email without the need to set up Outlook at first launch. This is just one of the many benefits to using the tool. Although these instructions are not specific to a VDI-in-a-Box deployment, it is found that instructions like Help, simplify the deployment process of virtual desktops.

Using the MS Office Customization Tool

This section describes the general steps required to use OCT. The tool is launched using an existing Microsoft Office package (DVD/ISO), typically residing on a network share. These settings are saved as a deployment file on a network share. The administrator can then run the Microsoft Office installation by pointing to this deployment file.
Note: Specific configuration is not discussed in these sections but there is an example deployment that you will find later in this article.

Configure Settings

1. Edit and log on to the VDI-in-a-Box golden image.

2. Ensure that the MS Office 2010 package is available on a network share.

3. Open Command Prompt and change to the location of MS Office 2010.

4. Launch OCT using the following command:
   setup.exe /admin

5. Select Create a new Setup customization file for: Microsoft Office 2010.

6. Some of these settings include:

   • Type of license (MAK or KMS)

   • Which Office applications and components to install

   • Modify features

   • Outlook configuration

7. After the desired settings have been configured, open File > Save menu. Provide a name, such as VDI-Office2010, and save the file to a network share. It can be saved locally but must be moved to a network share in order to launch the setup in Step 9.

8. Close the OCT and return to the Command Prompt.

9. Change to the network share directory. One method is to map the network share temporarily using the net use <drive letter>: \\network-share\folder command.

10. Run the Office installation using the settings configured:
    setup.exe /adminfile <admin file>
    For example: setup.exe /adminfile \\network-share\vdi\VDI-Office2010.msp

11. The installation starts and continues in the background until complete.

Note: This can take few minutes to complete, depending on the applications/components that are to be installed. There is no notification to let you know about the progress of the installation.

After the steps are complete, the administrator can test and publish the golden image. This deployment file can always be modified as required to install MS Office onto different golden images requiring different configuration requirements.

Installation Example

An organization has just purchased VDI-in-a-Box and the administrator is in the process of preparing the golden image. The initial deployment consists of one Windows 7 32-bit golden image and Office Professional Plus 2010. The organization uses MAK Volume Licensing for both products. The VDI-in-a-Box administrator’s goal is to use the OCT to configure MS Office in such a way that it creates Outlook profiles for all users, which includes connectivity to the organization’s Exchange server.

The VDI-in-a-Box administrator believes the Microsoft Office experience must be seamless for all users. The default behavior causes interruptions because desktops are refreshed on a regular basis. The administrator’s goal is to configure MS Office for VDI-in-a-Box to do the following:

• Accept the Microsoft License Agreement on behalf of all users.

• Prevent the Privacy Options Wizard from opening on first run.

• Disable updates and customer experience programs.

• Configure the Full Name and Initials prompt automatically without user intervention.

• Create a new Outlook profile that connects to the Exchange server using Windows usernames.

• Disable Exchange Cached Mode since the desktops are refreshed regularly.

Deployment with Microsoft Office Customization Tool

1. Edit and log on to the VDI-in-a-Box golden image.

2. Follow the steps from the Configure Settings section earlier in this article to run the OCT.

3. The administrator configures the following settings in the OCT:

   Setup > Install location and organization name: Type My Organization in the Organization name field:

   

4. Open Setup > Licensing and user interface.

5. Select the MAK option and type the Product Key. Also, select I accept terms in the License Agreement for all users. Change Display level to None.

     

6. Open Features > Modify user settings > Microsoft Office 2010 > Privacy > Trust Center:

   • Enable: Disable Opt-in Wizard on first run

   • Disable: Enable Customer Experience Improvement Program

   • Disable: Automatically receive small updates to improve reliability

     

7. Open Features > Set feature installation states.

   The administrator confirms that some of the MS Office applications are not required and will remove them from installation to conserve disk space. The following applications are removed:

   • Microsoft Access

   • Microsoft Publisher

     

8. Open Additional content > Add registry entries.

   The following registry entries will be used to automatically configure the User Name and User Initials for Microsoft Office for each user.

9. Click Add and fill the Add/Modify Registry Entry form to create the following two entries:

   Caution! Refer to the Disclaimer at the end of this article before using Registry Editor. 

   User Name

   • Root: HKEY_CURRENT_USER

   • Data type: REG_EXPAND_SZ

   • Key: Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\UserInfo

   • Value name: UserName

   • Value data: %username%

     

   User Initials

   • Root: HKEY_CURRENT_USER

   • Data type: REG_EXPAND_SZ

   • Key: Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\UserInfo

   • Value name: UserInitials

   • Value data: %username:~0,2%

     

     

10. Open Outlook > Outlook Profile.

11. Select New Profile and name it ViaB-Outlook.

      

12. Open Outlook > Add accounts.
    Use this section to automatically connect to the organization’s Exchange account. Usernames for the domain are identical to the usernames used for Exchange.

13. Click Add, select Exchange, and fill the information in the Exchange Settings screen.

    

    

14. Click More Settings > Cached Mode.

15. Select Configure Cached Exchange Mode and clear all the other options.

    

16. Click Finish and ensure the new account is selected for both Deliver new mail to and Default e-mail account options.

17. No other settings must be configured so the administrator saves the settings through the Customization tool > File > Save menu. The file is copied to the network share.

18. Open Command Prompt.

19. Administrator runs the MS Office 2010 Setup using the ViaB-Office.MSP configuration file.

     

    The Microsoft Office 2010 Setup window appears for few moments and then disappears. This is an expected behavior and Office continues to install in the background. Do not log off or restart the golden image until this completes. The administrator can see the MS Office folder in the Windows Start menu.

20. Log out of the golden image if no other changes need to be made.

21. Test and publish the golden image.

22. Create a Template and link it to this golden image if one does not already exist.

23. Log on to the desktops as a few different test users to confirm all the settings stick. The administrator confirms the following behavior and is satisfied with the results:

    • The Microsoft Office applications and shortcuts are available.

    • User opens Word and is not prompted to enter a name, select privacy options, or configure updates.

    • User opens Outlook and is prompted to enter credentials (password) to connect to the corporate Exchange server.

    • Email appears in Outlook but is not downloaded because Exchange Cached Mode is disabled.

After completion of the configuration, the administrator deploys VDI-in-a-Box desktops to the users.

Note: The level of customization of this particular example might not fit your particular requirements. Use best judgment and organization requirements when deciding how to customize your VDI-in-a-Box golden images.

Additional Resources

Microsoft Office Customiz​ation Tool in 2007: Office Customization Tool in the 2007 Office system
Customize the installation for Office 2010: Customize installations of Office 2013