Re: published office xp, but question/problem

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From: Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP] (cwshultz_at_mvps.org)
Date: 08/18/04 

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 18:18:26 -0400

Mike,

Okay. I gotcha!

There are two ways to do the .msi files - to the computer configuration side
or to the user configuration side. If you deploy the application to the
computer configuration side via GPO then it would be available to all users
who log on to the machines that are affected by this GPO. If you deploy the
application to the user configuration side via GPO then the application will
follow the users - so to speak. Solong as they are logging on to a WIN2000
or WINXP Pro machine they will get the application. Remember, GPOs work on
WIN2000 and above.

Testing is a good thing. I have found too many times that people simply
think that "it will work" because they think that everything was done
correctly. How many times is that not the case? Far too many times!

You need to use the Advance xxxxx for .mst to be available - be it Advance
Publish or Advance Assign. I typically Advance Assign office 2000 or Office
XP and make use of the .mst file. You can do this to create the shortcuts
that you want where you want. In regards to 'All Users' - I like to use the
Default User. What I used to do is to copy the shortcuts to the default
user's profile. This way, if Joe Blow deletes all the shortcuts that are on
his desktop because he does not like them there then everyone else who might
log on to that machine ( for the first time after Joe Blow has done this )
is now no longer going to have the shortcuts on their desktop....If you use
the Default User's profile then only Joe Blow is affected by his actions.

As to the other applications - I would contact the makers of the other
software. Go to their web site and contact their Tech Support. They may or
may not help you. Then I would google and see if there is an love out there
for the specific apps...

HTH,

Cary

"Mike" <switzer12@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:173201c48565$77045420$a301280a@phx.gbl...
> Thanks for your message again Cary - no offence taken as I
> think I have been too much in a hurry today to explain
> myself fully.
>
> Here is the deal. The goal is to push down office to all
> XP Pro PCs. I want the technicians to be able to go
> around and reboot the workstation, have it install
> automatically, test it, then walk to the next and have it
> do the same - after, of course, I create the GPO and
> assign it to the appropriate OU.
>
> When I said it "only installed for one user" - I meant on
> the PC itself. I wanted to install it to "All Users",
> with appropriate icons in the All Users profiles, etc.
>
> I believe I resorted to Publishing it as opposed to
> Assigning it, as Assigning it did not aparently give me
> access to add a modification (MST) where I could push down
> my custom settings with it.
>
> Maybe I should have selected Advanced Assign in here
> somewhere, perhaps that's the disconnect. Again, my goal
> is to find a way to be able to both push the install of
> an .msi based app, as well as define the custom install
> features, with little to no user/tech intervention. This
> applies to third party apps too - but I think I may need
> Install Shield Pro to edit and customize .MSI's to that
> extent (?).
>
> Thanks for your words,
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Mike,
> >
> >Since you published this ( I almost always Advance Assign
> my Office GPOs )
> >then I know that you linked the GPO to an OU in which the
> user account
> >objects are located. You can not publish applications to
> the computer
> >configuration side of things....
> >
> >You make a very general statement "Worked great - but
> only installed for one
> >user". That would imply that it did not install for a
> lot of other users?
> >What errors are you seeing? Have you looked at the Event
> Logs on the
> >systems where the GPO did not install? What do you see
> there? Have you
> >installed GPOTOOL on a Domain Controller to see if
> anything pops up there?
> >How about GPRESULT on the local workstations to see if
> anything pops up
> >there?
> >
> >As with all Active Directory questions, is DNS correct (
> meaning, pointing
> >to your internal DNS Server(s) and not to any ISP DNS
> Server(s))?
> >
> >Here are the links:
> >
> >GPOTOOL
> >http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools
> /existing/gpotool-o.asp
> >
> >GPRESULT
> >http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools
> /existing/gpresult-o.asp
> >
> >I think that there might be a problem getting all of the
> Outlook settings in
> >there unless the user is a member of the local computer's
> Administrators
> >group....but I might be wrong here.
> >
> >Mike, please excuse this next question. I am not trying
> to tell anyone how
> >to do things.
> >
> >Your wish for the techs to be able to go to each
> workstation and install
> >Office for all users is a bit misguided, I believe. I
> would suggest that if
> >you want this then you might as well simply install from
> an Administrative
> >Installation or from the CD Media itself. This defeats
> the purpose of using
> >Group Policy. When I use GPO to deploy Office with
> the .mst file I usually
> >Advanced Assign it to the user configuration side of
> things and link it to
> >the appropriate OU. When the affected users log on then
> everything is done.
> >All they need to do is to either try to open a Word
> Document or Excel
> >Spread*** or double-click on the icons and walla!
> Well, the Spell Checker
> >is not installed and the Help files are not
> installed....small things like
> >this. But that simply takes one click. This sounds like
> what you want
> >accomplished. Why would you publish this application if
> you ultimately
> >want it installed for everyone? Not to mention,
> publishing the app requires
> >user intervention...
> >
> >I am not trying to be critical. I am trying to figure
> out your thought
> >process - or what you are trying to accomplish. Again,
> please do not
> >misunderstand my question. I am simply trying to help
> you accomplish what
> >you are trying to accomplish.
> >
> >HTH,
> >
> >Cary
> >
> >
> >
> >"Mike" <switzer12@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >news:87cf01c48549$6b2992d0$a401280a@phx.gbl...
> >> Published XP Office Std. w/MST transform to select all
> >> options. Worked excellent - but only installed for
> that
> >> one user.
> >>
> >> What I want is a tech to be able to head to that PC, go
> to
> >> the published app and install the thing for ALL Users.
> >>
> >> If I log in as local Admin, will it do it? Or jsut
> >> install it was admin and allow no one else to use it as
> it
> >> did with the other user? This is XP Pro.
> >>
> >> Thanks
> >>
> >> Mike
> >
> >
> >.
> >

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