Sometimes you cannot uninstall the existing 2003, 2007 or 2010 Microsoft Office suite on your computer by using the Add or Remove Programs feature in Control Panel of Windows XP or the Programs and Features feature in Control Panel of Windows Vista/Win7. To help with this Microsoft has created Fix it utilities at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301.

Office uninstallation can fail if any of these are true:

• The installation process did not complete when you tried to install a new program. Therefore, you are left with a partially installed program. When you try to install the program again, you are unsuccessful.
• A previously installed program cannot be removed because the installation files are corrupted.
• If you had problems installing Office 2010 from a previous attempt.
• Office cached patches, or cached source is corrupt.

These fix it utilities can remove Office 2003-2010 products regardless of the current health of Office. These fix it utilities are provided as MSI files and run automatically without user invention. This is a good solution for folks that have a single machine that cannot uninstall the Office Suite under normal conditions. There are some limitations to the fix it solutions however. Because it is automatic, the end user cannot specify which products to remove, and the MSIs will only remove Office Suites. It will not help with the removal of standalone products. Also, the fix its lack the ability to be automated. So if you needed to run these on multiple machines, you would need to do so manually.

Fortunately, the VBS engine that the fix it uses can be obtained from the fix it and can then be automated.

Instructions to obtain Offscrub.vbs from the fix it utilities:

1. Download the fix it for the appropriate version of office, and run it.
2. Agree to the EULA and click next.
3. When you get to this screen stop and browse to the %temp% directory.

4. Find the Fixit directory in the %temp% directory and copy it to the desktop

5. You can now cancel the Fixit utility. Browse to the Fixit folder you copied to the desktop, and inside you will find offscrub.vbs. (OffScrub07.vbs in my example since I ran the Fixit for Office 2007)

Now that we have obtained the Offscrub07.vbs script from the Office 2007 Fixit, we can run it manually outside of the Fixit. We can also automate it’s usage from a command line with a variety of variables.

If you run the Offscrub2007.vbs script manually, by double-clicking or by calling it with cscript without any switches you will be presented a screen like the following:

In my example screenshot we can see that Offscrub found Access 2007 Standalone, Office 2007 Standard, and Visio Standard 2007 are installed. If I click ok on this screen the way it is, Offscrub will remove all three products from the machine. If I only wanted to remove Visio, I would remove everything in this box except VISSTD and click ok.

Using this manual method you can use Offscrub to remove Office 2007 standalone products, which you would not be able to do if you were running the Fixit alone.

If you want to automate Offscrub you can do so via command line.

Usage:  OffScrub07.vbs [List of config ProductIDs] [Options]

        /?                               ' Displays the help
        /Force                           ' Enforces file removal. May cause data loss!
        /S           ' Does not search the local hard drives for shortcuts
        /Log [LogfolderPath]             ' Custom folder for log files
        /NoCancel                        ' Setup.exe and Msiexec.exe have no Cancel button
        /OSE                             ' Forces removal of the Office Source Engine service
        /Q                         ' Setup.exe and Msiexec.exe run quiet with no UI
        /Preview                         ' Run this script to preview what would get removed

Examples:
        OffScrub07.vbs CLIENTALL         ' Remove all Office 2007 Client products
        OffScrub07.vbs SERVER               ' Remove all Office 2007 Server products
        OffScrub07.vbs ALL                     ' Remove all Office 2007 Server & Client products
        OffScrub07.vbs ProPlus,PrjPro   ' Remove ProPlus and Project
 
Stages of the script
===============
- Basics :    Non customizable tasks
- Stage 1:    Component detection. Builds a list of files which are installed/registered to a product that's going to be removed.
        Depending on the amount of applications that are removed - this can be a very time consuming task.
        "/Bypass 1" allows to bypass this detection.
- Stage 2:     Remove products with Setup.exe
- Stage 3:     Remove products with direct calls to Windows Installer
- Stage 4:     CleanUp - scrub files and registry settings that remained from the previous stages.
        In combination with 'Stage 1' this is the core of the removal concept.

Usage Examples
==============
- "Safe" (Similar to calling setup.exe)
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /Bypass 1,3,4
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /Bypass 1,3,4 /Quiet
    OffScrub07.vbs ProPlus /Bypass 1,3,4 /Quiet

- "Preview"
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /Preview
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /Bypass 2 /Preview

   Note: The preview option will not give the same results as the true removal. 
   Still useful to get a good picture of what will be removed on the client

- "Quiet"
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /Quiet

   Note: The CMD output window will still receive all messages but the UI for Setup and Msiexec tasks will be suppressed.

- "NoCancel"
    OffScrub07.vbs ALL /NoCancel

   Note: Setup and Msiexec tasks have no "Cancel" option

So if we were going to script the automation of Office 2007 ProPlus so that the uninstallation was silent, and couldn’t be cancelled, we would run a command like so:

cscript offscrub2007.vbs ProPlus /Q /NoCancel /BYPASS 1

I would advise that when automating Offscrub you skip the component detection (Stage 1) . You do this by using “/Bypass 1”.
The reason is because I have seen instances where component detection causes third party products to attempt repair. Usually this is not big deal, but if the third party product is in an unhealthy state (for example it’s missing it’s cached MSI) than it will prompt the user to locate the MSI and thus stall Offscrub. Obviously not desired if we are looking to automate the removal with no user intervention.

FAQ-

How can we remove the black window that populates when Offscrub is run?
A- If the command prompt screen is closed while offscrub is running it will fail to continue. We can prevent that by hiding the command prompt window. Edit the the Offscrub.vbs file and find for the following code at the bottom of the script:

We have elected to use the Offscrub method and hide the CMD prompt window that Offscrub populates, but now find that there is no message to the user that the Office installation is taking place. Can we generate a notice to the users so they know that Office is being installed, and don’t try to shut down or disconnect the PC in the middle of the install?
A- It is not uncommon for folks to want to disable the command prompt window that Offscrub generates, because if that command prompt window is closed by the end user, then Offscrub will not complete.

You can launch a custom IE window or a CMD window to act as the user notification if you wish. As an example, you could add the following to launch a nice notice to the user:

start "----NOTICE----" cmd.exe /t:ec /Q /k "echo OFFICE 2010 IS BEING INSTALLED. THIS WINDOW WILL CLOSE WHEN COMPLETE&&prompt $h"

Then after the install completes, close the CMD notification with:

XP
taskkill /IM cmd.exe /FI "WINDOWTITLE EQ ----NOTICE----"
Win7
taskkill /IM cmd.exe /FI "WINDOWTITLE EQ Administrator: ----NOTICE----"


The shortcut detection seems to take a long time. Can it be avoided? 
A- Yes. The shortcut detection will try to scan all drives on a machine for the Office shortcuts that align with the product being removed. This can be skipped by use a “/s” option switch when running Offscrub.

There are a couple common scenarios that occur that can cause an invalid product key error with Office 2010 volume license edition when attempting to install the VL MAK key. 

1. After purchasing a Volume License edition of Office 2010, when entering the key that came with the discs that were sent in the mail, you get invalid product key.

2. After installing the Volume License edition of Office 2010 and entering the MAK product key that you obtained from the Volume License Service Center you get invalid product key error

First it is important to understand that 32 bit versions of Office 2010 that are volume license will not ask you for a product key during the installation. Both of the scenarios above assume that you have already installed Office 2010 VL, and are now trying to enter the product key post installation by clicking on “change key”.

Issue #1

When you purchase Office 2010 from a Volume License retailer and you opt for physical media to be sent to you, you will find that it comes with 3 discs and a product key.

After you install Office 2010 successfully and try to input the product key that comes with the media you will get an invalid key error. The reason for this is because the product key that ships with the media is for “Office Web Apps” and not in fact for Office 2010 ProPlus.

To obtain the VL MAK key for Office 2010 you will need to logon to the Volume License Service Center. After you purchased your Volume License version of Office 2010, you should have received an email from the Volume Licensing Service Center (msvlop@microsoft.com) welcoming you to register at the VLSC. You will need to find this email, and login to the VLSC and obtain your VL MAK key from there. If you didn’t receive this email and you expect that you should have, or need assistance logging on to the VLSC you can call the following number for VLSC support (866-230-0560 Option 3) They should be able to pull up your VL agreement using the email address or company name of the purchaser.

Issue #2

After installing the Volume License edition of Office 2010 and entering the MAK product key that you obtained from the Volume License Service Center you get invalid product key error.

It is not uncommon for folks to install the volume license version of Office 2010 on a machine without first uninstalling the preinstalled OEM version of Office 2010 from the machine. Then when running Microsoft Office 2010 from the start menu they are actually launching the OEM version of Office 2010 rather than the VL Standard/Proplus version. The Office 2010 OEM version has an icon that looks like this:

If you are clicking on this icon, it is expected that your VL MAK key would give you an invalid key error message, because the OEM version is being run and that version will not accept a VL key.

Solution-
Check programs and features in the control panel, and ensure that you only have one entry for the Office 2010 suite. Uninstall the OEM version of the Office 2010 suite. 

Here is an example of what Programs and Features will look like when the OEM version is installed along side the Office 2010 ProPlus VL version.

The entry above that says “Microsoft Office 2010” is the OEM version of Office 2010 and will not accept a VL product key. Since you installed the Volume License version of Office 2010 Standard/ProPlus feel free to uninstall the version that is labeled “Microsoft Office 2010”.

After you uninstall the OEM version of Office 2010 now you can click on start, programs, Microsoft Office, and click on an Office application. (IE Word, Excel). Then you can input the MAK key by going to file, and help inside the application and choosing Change Product Key.

When Office products are downloaded from the Volume License Service Center they come down as .ISO files. .ISO is not a file format that Windows can open natively.

An ISO file is an image of a CD/DVD. Typically you would be able to use a burning program like Nero, or ImgBurn, to then burn that ISO file directly to a disk.

How do I use .ISO files?

Once you have downloaded an .ISO file, there are several possible options you can use to install the software:

1. Use .ISO image file software to download and save the .ISO image file to a CD-R or a DVD-R.
   If you are planning to install an Operating System on a PC or install software across multiple machines, this is one of your best options. A CD/DVD gives you the flexibility to make clean installs and to be used as a “boot CD.”
   If you are using a PC with Windows 7, you don’t need any additional software to burn a CD-R or DVD-R. Simply double click on the .ISO file you downloaded, and then follow the steps in the Image Burner Wizard.
   If you are using any other Operating System, you may need additional software. If your computer is equipped with a CD/DVD burner, this software is probably already loaded on your PC. Most CD-R/DVD-R writing software enables disk creation from an image file. Select a menu item such as Copy Image to CD or Burn Image to access this feature. For detailed instructions, see the software’s Help documentation.
2. Virtually mount and access ISO files as a virtual device.
   If you don’t have a CD/DVD burner installed on your machine or you don’t have media available to you (a blank CD-R/DVD-R), you can “mount” the ISO file as a virtual drive. With this method, your machine will believe that the file is a real disk drive, and you will be able to read files from this “virtual disk.” This approach is advisable only for installation of applications (such as Office) or minor system upgrades. You will not be able to install an Operating System using this approach, because the virtual drive would disappear at some point during the installation.
   There are several software options for the virtual drive approach. Though they have not been tested and are not supported by the VLSC team, customers report that Daemon Tools and Pismo File Mount offer such capability as well as Microsoft Virtual CD Control Tool.
3. Extract the .ISO files to your hard drive.
   Contents of .ISO image files can be accessed directly using third-party tools that allow file extraction from the file to a temporary folder on your hard drive (similar to .zip files). As with the virtual drive, this approach is advisable to install application software or system upgrades. An example of this approach is the creation of an installation thumb drive to install software on netbooks or other devices with no optical drive.
   The following tools offer .ISO file support:
   • IsoBuster
   • CDmage
   • Daemon Tools
   • Winrar
   
   Note: While other products may work to manipulate .ISO files, they have not been tested and are not recommended by Microsoft.

The purpose of this blog will be to demonstrate the usage of my favorite third party freeware program that can be used to “mount” the ISO file and allow the extraction of the contents. 

As you can see there are many programs that we could use to extract the contents from ISO files, but there are few reasons that I prefer Pismo File mount.

- Free
- Easy to use
- Non invasive

Let me demonstrate how I use Pismo File Mount to extract the contents from an Office ProPlus 2010 ISO I downloaded from the VLSC.

1. Downloaded and ran the installer for Pismo File Mount Audit Package.
2. After the installation, I right click on the ISO file that I had downloaded and choose “Mount Image”

3. After mounting the image you will notice that the icon for the ISO has changed and how looks like this:

We can now double click on this and it will open like so:

Now we will want to select all and copy the contents to another local folder on the machine.

4. After I have copied the contents to another folder on the machine, I will “unmount” the ISO so that it is no longer in use by Pismo File Mount.

Now that I have the contents extracted I can delete the ISO and copy the contents to a network share, burn to a disc, or copy to a thumbdrive for installation on other machines. At this point I uninstalled Pismo File Mount.

Note: While this blog article is written with ISO files in mind, it also pertains to .IMG files.

We can automate the silent uninstallation of Office patches via a command line like so:

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /package {Office GUID} /uninstall {Patch GUID} /QN

First we will need to determine what the GUID is for Office, and next what the GUID is for the patch that we are trying to uninstall.
To determine what the GUID is for the installed version of Office, look in the uninstall hive in the registry.

x86 OS
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{GUID}
x64 OS
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{GUID}

On my two example machines I have Office 2003, and Office 2007 installed.

The GUID for Office 2003 will be similar or equal to {90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9}
The GUID may be slightly different then what I have listed here. Verify you found the correct GUID by verifying the product under the “Displayname” key listed in the GUID.

See also - Description of numbering scheme for product code GUIDs in Office 2003
Here is a screenshot of this registry key on my machine that has Office 2003.

The GUID for Office 2007 will be similar or equal to {90120000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}
The GUID may be slightly different then what I have listed here. Verify you found the correct GUID by verifying the product under the “Displayname” key listed in the GUID.

See also - Description of the numbering scheme for product code GUIDs in 2007 Office suites and programs
Here is a screenshot of this registry key on my machine that has Office 2007.

Notice that there are many GUIDS that end in 0FF1CE in my screenshot above. The reason for this is because Office 2007/2010 is a multi-msi based product, and because of that there is a GUID for each component in Office 2007/2010. So for example if I clicked on {90120000-0015-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE} in my example above the “Displayname” would show “Microsoft Office Access MUI (English) 2007”. This is not the GUID for the Office suite. This is only the GUID for the Access MUI component. For Office 2007/2010 make sure that you find the GUID that has a display name that correlates with the name of the suite. ie.. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, or Microsoft Office Standard 2007 etc..

Next we need to discover the GUID of the patch we are trying to uninstall. To do this we will want to look at the properties of the MSP file that is contained within the patch .exe.

First we will need to extract the MSP(s) from the patch executable.

The method to extract the contents from Office patches has changed since Office 2003.

To extract the contents from 2003 patches-
I will download the Office 2003 patch from KB2464588 as an example. (office2003-KB2464588-FullFile-ENU.exe)
For Office 2003 patches we will need to extract the MSPs from the executable using an extraction command like so to extract the MSPs from this patch executable to the c:\temp directory:
office2003-KB2464588-FullFile-ENU.exe /c /t:c:\temp

To extract the contents from 2007 patches-
I will download the Office 2007 patch from KB2464594 as an example. (PowerPoint2007-KB2464594-fullfile-x86-glb.exe)
For Office 2007 patches we will need to extract the MSPs from the executable using an extraction command like so to extract the MSPs from this patch executable to the c:\temp directory:
PowerPoint2007-KB2464594-fullfile-x86-glb.exe /extract:c:\temp

Now that we have the MSP from the patch executable we need to find the GUID of the patch.

We can find this by right clicking on the msp and going to properties. We will be looking for the revision number. Sometimes there will be a lot of numbers in the revision number section. The first number in the list of revision numbers is the GUID.
*note* - In Vista you will not be able to find the GUID this way.

So using the POWERPNT.MSP file from KB2464588 as an example we discover that the GUID for this patch is {AB0D3DA9-FC93-4F57-ADE2-B6669749B25E} because that is the first number in the revision number properties.

From Windows XP:

From Windows 7:

So now we know that the Office 2003 suite GUID in my example is {90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9}, and we know that the GUID for the Office 2003 patch from KB2464588 is {AB0D3DA9-FC93-4F57-ADE2-B6669749B25E}. So the command that could be used to programmatically remove this patch would be:

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /package {90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9} /uninstall {AB0D3DA9-FC93-4F57-ADE2-B6669749B25E} /qn

*note*
You could use /qb for an automated uninstall with a progress bar, or use /qn for a totally silent uninstall.

We found that the GUID for Office 2007 in my example above was {90120000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}, and the GUID for the Office 2007 patch KB2464594 is {E6B7C11E-21E9-4BA0-9677-29AD603B953C}.

So the command that could be used to programmatically remove this Office 2007 patch would be:

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /package {90120000-0011-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE} /uninstall {E6B7C11E-21E9-4BA0-9677-29AD603B953C} /qn

*note*
You could use /qb for an automated uninstall with a progress bar, or use /qn for a totally silent uninstall.

FAQ-

How can we determine if the patch is installed programmatically if we know the GUID of the patch?
A- This can be done once we convert the patch GUID to a compressed GUID. (How to convert an Office GUID, or Office patch GUID to a compressed GUID)
Then query for the compressed GUID at this registry location:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Patches\

So for example the patch GUID for KB2464588 is {AB0D3DA9-FC93-4F57-ADE2-B6669749B25E}. Once converted we find that the compressed GUID is 9AD3D0BA39CF75F4DA2E6B6679942BE5.

So if KB2464588 is installed the following registry key would exist:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Patches\9AD3D0BA39CF75F4DA2E6B6679942BE5

Is it possible to uninstall a patch that is not natively uninstallable?
A- While it is not recommended, nor supported by Microsoft it is possible to uninstall patches that are marked as not uninstallable. Once again we will need to convert the patch GUID to a compressed GUID. (How to convert an Office GUID, or Office patch GUID to a compressed GUID)
Using the same example above we know that KB2464588 has a compressed GUID of 9AD3D0BA39CF75F4DA2E6B6679942BE5. The registry key that determines whether or not this patch is uninstallable will be located here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\[Office guid]\Patches\9AD3D0BA39CF75F4DA2E6B6679942BE5

"Uninstallable"=dword:00000001

If the patch is not uninstallable natively, it would be possible to change the "Uninstallable" value at this registry location to “1” and then the patch would be available to uninstall.

We have a patch that has multiple MSP files inside of it. Is this normal? Would we need to uninstall them all?
A- It is not uncommon for Office patches to contain multiple MSP files. If you wanted to completely remove the patch you would need to uninstall each of the MSPs.

It is also not uncommon for Office patches to apply to multiple products and as such show up multiple times in Add/Remove. In these cases to completely remove the patch you would need to run the uninstall command targeting the GUID for each Office product that has the patch installed.

After installing the April 2011 Public Update for Outlook 2007 (KB2509470), some users have reported difficulty with print previewing messages. The KB2512788 hotfix was created to address these issues.

The following steps can be used to install the KB2512788 hotfix in a manner that is conducive to an enterprise environment (i.e., via command line, silently, and requiring no user interaction):

1) Extract the MSP file from the KB2512788 executable, by using a command line similar to the following ("C:\KB2512788" is an example of a path where files could be extracted to):

<path>\office-kb2512788-fullfile-x86-glb.exe /extract:C:\KB2512788 /Q

2) Attempt to silently install the KB2512788 MSP file, generate a verbose installation log, and suppress reboots using a command line similar to the following (change "/QN" to "/QB" to display only a basic progress indicator):

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P C:\KB2512788\outlook-x-none.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress /L*V C:\KB2512788\KB2512788.log /QN

3) Check the end of the verbose log file (i.e., KB2512788.log) for a return code. A value of zero indicates success with no further action required. A return code of 3010 also indicates a successful installation of the MSP file, but a reboot is required to complete the update process.

4) See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368542(v=vs.85).aspx for additional info on Windows Installer return/error codes.

5) Machines with Windows Installer 4.x and later (Windows 7 ships with Installer 5.x) contain functionality provided by the MSI Restart Manager. The design of the MSI Restart Manager is to reduce required system restarts caused by required files being in use during a maintenance mode or update process.

6) With the MSI Restart Manager, if a file that is to be updated is held in use by another process or application (i.e., Outlook.exe), that application is restarted in order to allow for an "on the fly" update.

7) This has the potential to cause issues with open Office applications, which may be unexpectedly restarted. To prevent applications from being restarted, a command line similar to the following can be used:

 %windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P C:\KB2512788\outlook-x-none.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL=Disable /L*V C:\KB2512788\KB2512788.log /QN

8) It is important to note that if the MSI Restart Manager is disabled, a reboot is suppressed, and Office files to be updated are in use, changes to files will not occur until after the machine is rebooted (this would be a scenario where the log file ends with a return code of 3010).

9) See the following articles for additional info on the MSI Restart Manager:

MSI Restart Manager - How it relates to Office updates and application restarts
http://blogs.technet.com/b/odsupport/archive/2011/04/29/msi-restart-manager-how-it-relates-to-office-updates-and-application-restarts.aspx

Using Windows Installer with Restart Manager
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372466.aspx

MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL Property
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370377.aspx

10) For further information on the KB2509470 and KB2512788 updates & hotfixes, see the following blog posts and articles:

Office Sustained Engineering and Release Team Blog post, “Issues after installing Outlook KB KB2509470"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2011/04/28/issues-after-installing-outlook-kb-kb2509470.aspx

KB2512788 Description of the Office Outlook 2007 hotfix package (Outlook-x-none.msp): April 26, 2011
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2512788

Office Sustained Engineering and Release Team Blog post, "April 2011 Office Security Update Release"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2011/04/12/april-2011-office-security-update-release.aspx

KB2509470 Description of the Extended Protection for Authentication update for Outlook 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2509470

If you have installed the KB2464588 update for Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, which is related to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-022, you may be aware of/experiencing the following known issues:

When you open presentations that contain layouts with background images in PowerPoint 2003, an error may occur. When the error occurs, you receive a message that states that some contents (text, images, or objects) have corrupted. You can determine what content has been lost by viewing the layout, but not by viewing the slide content. Items that were removed will display a blank box or a box that contains "cleansed."

The KB2543241 hotfix was created to alleviate these issues. The following steps can be used to install the KB2543241 hotfix in a manner that is conducive to an enterprise environment (i.e., via command line, silently, and requiring no user interaction):

1) Extract the MSP file from the KB2543241 executable, by using a command line similar to the following:

<path>\office2003-KB2543241-ENU.exe /C /T:C:\KB2543241 /Q

 2) Attempt to silently install the KB2543241 MSP file, generate a verbose installation log, and suppress reboots using a command line similar to the following (change "/QN" to "/QB" to display only a basic progress indicator):

 %windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P C:\KB2543241\POWERPNT.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress /L*V C:\KB2543241\KB2543241.log /QN

 3) Check the end of the verbose log file (i.e., KB2543241.log) for a return code. A value of zero indicates success with no further action required. A return code of 3010 also indicates a successful installation of the MSP file, but a reboot is required to complete the update process.

4) See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368542(v=vs.85).aspx for additional info on Windows Installer return/error codes.

5) Machines with Windows Installer 4.x and later (Windows 7 ships with Installer 5.x) contain functionality provided by the MSI Restart Manager. The design of the MSI Restart Manager is to reduce required system restarts caused by required files being in use during a maintenance mode or update process.

6) With the MSI Restart Manager, is a file that is to be update is held in use by another process or application (i.e., PowerPnt.exe), that application is restarted in order to allow for an "on the fly" update.

7) This has the potential to cause issues with open Office applications, which may be unexpectedly restarted. To prevent applications from being restarted, a command line similar to the following can be used:

 %windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P C:\KB2543241\POWERPNT.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL=Disable /L*V C:\KB2543241\KB2543241.log /QN

 8) It is important to note that if the MSI Restart Manager is disabled, a reboot is suppressed, and Office files to be updated are in use, changes to files will not occur until after the machine is rebooted (this would be a scenario where the log file ends with a return code of 3010).

9) See the following articles for additional info on the MSI Restart Manager:

Using Windows Installer with Restart Manager
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372466.aspx

MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL Property
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370377.aspx

10) For further information on the KB2543241 and KB2464588 updates & hotfixes, see the following blog posts, articles, and bulletin:

Office Sustained Engineering and Release Team Blog post, "Issues after installing PowerPoint 2003 update KB2464588"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2011/04/23/issues-after-installing-powerpoint-2003-update-kb2464588.aspx

KB2543241 Description of the PowerPoint 2003 hotfix package
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2543241

Office Sustained Engineering and Release Team Blog post, "April 2011 Office Security Update Release"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2011/04/12/april-2011-office-security-update-release.aspx

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-022 - Important
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2489283)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS11-022.mspx

KB2464588 MS11-022: Description of the security update for PowerPoint 2003: April 12, 2011
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2464588

Windows Installer 4.x and later includes the “MSI Restart Manager” which is designed to reduce required operating system reboots during Installer maintenance mode operations, by restarting applications rather than rebooting the operating system.

A typical Office update scenario where the MSI Restart Manager is used may be similar to the following:
1) Windows 7 machines have Office 2010 installed.
2) A customer deploys an Office update during the business day (or during off hours, prior to rebooting machines/ensuring that no Office applications are in use).
3) The command line used to deploy the update is a typical, enterprise-type MSI command line:

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P <path>\POWERPNT.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress /L*V <path>\POWERPNT.log /QN

4) If a user has PowerPoint and a related document open at this point, an expected reboot will not be called for or suppressed.
5) Instead, the MSI Restart Manager is invoked, closes PowerPoint, allows files in use to be updated without a reboot, and reopens PowerPoint.
6) The resulting behavior is that, upon restart, PowerPoint’s auto recovery functionality has saved the file that was previously open, and the user is prompted how they want to proceed with the auto-recovered file.

In order to prevent the application restart from occurring and disable the MSI Restart Manager, a command line similar to the following can be used:

%windir%\System32\msiexec.exe /P <path>\POWERPNT.msp REBOOT=ReallySuppress MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL=Disable /L*V <path>\POWERPNT.log /QN

It is important to note that if the MSI Restart Manager is disabled, a reboot is suppressed, and Office files to be updated are in use, changes to files will not occur until after the machine is rebooted (this would be a scenario where the log file ends with a return code of 3010).

The screenshots below illustrate the behavior which occurs when installing updates while Office apps are open, with and without the MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL=Disable property being set.

1) If the MSI Restart Manager is not disabled, and the update process is run in quiet mode versus silent mode (“/QB” vs. “/QN”), the user will be prompted to close open applications:

 2) If the MSI Restart Manager is not disabled, and the update process is run in quiet mode, with only reboots suppressed, open Office applications will automatically be restarted. Upon restart, open documents will be auto saved and auto recovered.

3) Clicking the “Recovered” button will result in the Document Recovery pane being displayed, and the user will be prompted as to which copy of the document that they wish to save.

4) If the MSI Restart Manager is disabled, the update process is run in silent mode, and reboots are suppressed, Office applications will not be restarted, but the resulting log file will contain a 3010 exit/return code (see attached LogFile.zip and the KB2464594.log file that it contains).

See the following articles for additional information on the MSI Restart Manager and the MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL property:

Using Windows Installer with Restart Manager
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372466.aspx

MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL Property
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370377.aspx

The 32 and 64-bit versions of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Office 2010 are now available!

Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB2460049) 32-bit Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26622

Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB2460049) 64-bit Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26617

See the following Knowledge Base articles for an overview of Service Pack 1 improvements and technical details:

KB2460049 Description of Office 2010 SP1
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460049

KB2532118 Technical details about the Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) releases
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2532118

To obtain an Excel workbook that lists the issues which are addressed by this service pack, click here.

Version 2 of the Group Policy template files and OCT files for the SP1 release of Office 2010 are also now available for download!

Office 2010 Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=18968

NOTE: If you are using the Office Customization Tool to create MSP files for custom installations of Office 2010, we recommend that you use the most recent version of the OCT files.

Updating OCT files is simple – just replace the /Admin folder in your Office 2010 installation files or installation image with the new /Admin folder after extracting it from the download package.

If your Office 2010 installation files include 32 and 64-bit versions, you will need to replace the contents of the /Admin folder in the x64 and x86 directories with those from the appropriate download package. 

See the following article for additional information:

Office 2010 Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178992.aspx

In a previous Office Deployment Support Team Blog post, we explained how to automatically activate Office 2010 by using a customized config.xml file and setting element/property, AUTO_ACTIVATE.

This blog post will expand on that a bit and explain how to perform the same actions using an MSP file created with the Office Customization Tool (OCT).

NOTE: Adding the AUTO_ACTIVATE property to an install will trigger an attempt to activate only once. If that fails for whatever reason (i.e., proxy issues, user rights, Internet connectivity issues, etc.), another attempt will not be made and Office users will later be prompted to activate Office 2010.

The following is a simplified example of a custom config.xml file, which can be used with volume license source files for Office 2010 Professional Plus to automate the process of inputting an Office MAK product key and activating the product at install time. In addition, the installation operation will be silent, with a related verbose log file created in the %temp% directory.

These options are typical for many customers who deploy Office in an enterprise environment. For more information, see the Config.xml file in Office 2010 article at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179195.aspx

1) In the above, "ABC12xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx34XYZ" is a placeholder for what should be your organization specific MAK product key for Office 2010.
2) Install Office 2010 as a user with local administrator rights by using a command line similar to the following: 

<path to Office 2010 source files>\setup.exe /config <path>\config.xml

3) Alternatively, this file can be added to the root of source files for Office 2010 (i.e., the same location of Setup.exe on a CD/DVD or network share), and running the setup executable will cause the config file to be automatically parsed at install time.

The following steps can be used to accomplish the same thing using the Office Customization Tool (OCT). In addition to providing for more advanced customization of an Office installation, adding a MAK product key to and OCT generated MSP file instead of a config.xml causes the key to be obfuscated, rather than appearing in plain text as it is in a config.xml file.

1) Run the OCT by typing setup.exe /admin at the command line from the root of the network installation point that contains the Office 2010 source files. For example, use \\server\share\Office14\setup.exe /admin.
2) In the OCT, select Licensing and user interface in the left pane, and in the right pane select Enter another product key, add your organization specific MAK Office product key in the Product key field, and other options as desired.

3) In the OCT, select Modify Setup properties in the left pane and then click the Add... button in the right pane.
4) In the Add/Modify Property Value dialog and type AUTO_ACTIVATE in the Name field. Note that property names are case sensitive.
5) In Value field, type 1, and then click OK.

6) Note that the AUTO_ACTIVATE property has been added to the MSP file and has a value of 1.

7) Click the File menu and then click Save as to save the Setup customization file. If the file is saved in the Updates folder that is part of the Office source file location/installation point, running the Office Setup.exe file will automatically detect the customization file in the Updates folder and apply the customizations.
8) As an alternative to placing the customization .msp file in the Updates folder, you can use the Setup command-line option /adminfile to specify the fully qualified path of the location of the MSP file. For example, type setup.exe /adminfile \\server\share\mychanges\custom.msp.

When troubleshooting KMS configuration and activation issues, our customers are often surprised to find unexpected Windows or Office KMS hosts in their environment.

By default, Windows and Office clients discover KMS hosts via DNS and a related _vlmcs SRV record. To determine whether a KMS client can locate a KMS host and/or whether undesired KMS hosts exist on the network, run a command line similar to the following:

nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp >%temp%\kms.txt

Review the kms.txt file. It should contain one or more entries similar to the following:

Running this nslookup command frequently reveals _vlmcs SRV entries which are tied to unauthorized Windows or Office KMS hosts.

In many cases, Windows KMS hosts may have been unintentionally set up by users who mistakenly entered a KMS host product key, rather than a Windows client product key. To remedy this issue, perform the following steps on the machine(s) in question, to replace the KMS product group key and "convert" it to a KMS or MAK client:

1) Open an elevated command prompt.
2) Run a command similar to the following:

cscript slmgr.vbs /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx   (where xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx is a 25 digit, Windows product key)

3) To prevent instability in the license service, the system should be restarted or the Software Protection Service should be restarted. The following command lines can be used to restart the Software Protection Service:

net stop sppsvc
net start sppsvc

4) Run a command line similar to the following to display the license information for the installed, active Windows edition:

cscript slmgr.vbs /dli

5) Using DNS Manager, in the appropriate forward lookup zone, delete the _vlmcs SRV records that exist for each machine which is not to serve as a Windows KMS host.
6) See the following articles for additional information:

Slmgr.vbs Options
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793433.aspx

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Customer Hosted Volume Activation Guide / Deploying KMS Activation
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793409.aspx

Unintentional creation of an Office KMS host is less common, because setting up an Office KMS requires a specific product key and the installation of the Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack.

To determine whether a machine has the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack installed and is an active Office KMS host, run a command line similar to the following:

cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864

The output of a machine which has the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack installed will resemble the following. Key items are "Partial Product Key: GB7AH" and "License Status: Licensed", which indicate that the Office 2010 KMS host key is successfully installed and activated.

Perform the following steps to remove an Office KMS host in your environment:

1) Open an elevated command prompt.
2) Run a command similar to the following:

cscript slmgr.vbs /upk bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864

 CAUTION: If the above command line is run without the Office activation ID ("bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864"), all installed product keys are uninstalled, including those for Windows.

3) Run following command line again, to check the status of the Office KMS host:

cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864

4) If the Office KMS host product key has been removed, the output will be similar to that below. Key items are "This license is not in use" and "License Status: Unlicensed".

5) Using DNS Manager, in the appropriate forward lookup zone, delete the _vlmcs SRV records that exist for each machine which is not to serve as an Office KMS host.
6) See the following articles for additional information:

Deploy volume activation of Office 2010
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624357.aspx

Troubleshoot volume activation for Office 2010
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624355.aspx

Installing Service Pack 1 for Office 2010 may cause the SharePoint Workspace (SPW) feature to be added to the installation, when it was previously set to "Not Available". This issue is the subject of Microsoft Knowledge Base article 2612800.

The screenshots below illustrate the SPW feature state as displayed in the Control Panel and the Office Customization Tool (OCT) when set to "Not Available":

(click to view larger images)

A related update was recently published to the Microsoft Download Center:

x86/32-bit (Office2010-kb2598245-fullfile-x86-glb.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=29250

x64/64-bit (Office2010-kb2598245-fullfile-x64-glb.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=29249

This update must be applied prior to the installation of SP1 to prevent the SPW feature from being added by SP1 or a later update.

Enterprise customers who are using the Updates folder for new installations of Office 2010 and including SP1 MSP files can use these steps to prevent the installation of SharePoint Workspace 2010:

1) Extract the contents of the update executable to a temporary location using the “/extract:<path>” switch (see KB912203 for addt'l switches).

        (click to view larger image)

2) Note the contents and subfolder in the location of the extracted update:

        (click to view larger images)

3) Copy the pre_rmaddlocal-x-none.msp and osetup.dll files, SP1 MSP files, and any other update or OCT generated MSP files into the Updates folder. The osetup.dll file can be found in the Admin subfolder, and the presence of this file will cause the pre_*.msp file to be applied before SP1, and after any OCT files.

       (click to view larger images)

There are currently no plans to add this update to the Microsoft Update Catalog, as doing so would cause it to be offered to all Microsoft Update users. In this case, only users who have set the SharePoint Workspace feature to Not Available will be affected by the issue.

See the following articles for additional information:

KB2612800 Office 2010 SP1 installs SharePoint Workspace
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2612800

KB2598245 Description of the Office 2010 update: March 29, 2012
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598245

Office Sustained Engineering and Release Team Blog post, "Update to Office 2010 SP1 to prevent unintentional installation of SharePoint Workspace"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2012/03/30/update-to-office-2010-sp1-to-prevent-unintentional-installation-of-sharepoint-workspace.aspx

Support for Windows XP, Office 2003, and Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP ends on April 8, 2014.

After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will not provide any public support for Windows XP, Office 2003, and Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP. This includes security patches, non-security hotfixes, and incident/assisted support.

To continue receiving assisted support and security updates:

• Customers using Windows XP should upgrade to Windows 7.
• Customers using Office 2003 should upgrade to Office 2010.
• Customers using Internet Explorer 6 should upgrade to Internet Explorer 9.

By moving to these versions, customers will receive the latest security technology from Microsoft.

Self-Help Online Support for Windows XP, Office 2003, and Internet Explorer 6 will be available for a minimum of 12 months after their end of support date. Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, are provided to help customers resolve common issues.

For additional information related to why support is ending for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003, what end of support means to customers, and how Microsoft will help customers see http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/endofsupport.aspx

The current version of the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack cannot be installed on machines running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012. Attempts to do so will result the error, "Unsupported operating system".

1/7/2013 UPDATE: The "Product activation failed" error that can occur when attempting to perform a phone activation of an Office 2010 KMS host installed on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 machines has been addressed in the latest release of the KeyManagementServiceHost*.exe file, which can be found in the link below.

12/4/2012 UPDATE: This issue has been addressed in the latest version of the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack, which can be found at the link below.

Microsoft is working on an update for the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack which will allow it to be successfully installed on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 machines.

In the meantime, the following steps can be used to work around the issue:

1) Download the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=169244)
2) Run the downloaded KeyManagementServiceHost.exe file to extract files that it contains. Ignore the "Unsupported operating system" error that occurs and click OK.
3) Press the Enter key to close the command window that is related to cscript.exe.
3) Browse to the %programfiles% or %programfiles(x86)% folder and navigate to the MSECache\OfficeKMS subfolder. If you installed the Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack on a 64-bit operating system, %programfiles% is the Program Files (x86) folder.
4) Rename the existing kms_host.vbs file to kms_host.old
5) Download the kms_host.zip file from the Office Deployment Support Team's SkyDrive share at http://sdrv.ms/RiZ8Q9
6) Extract the kms_host.vbs file from the zip file and place a copy of it in the %programfiles(x86)%\MSECache\OfficeKMS or%programfiles%\MSECache\OfficeKMS folder.

7) From an elevated command-prompt navigate to the %programfiles(x86)%\MSECache\OfficeKMS or%programfiles%\MSECache\OfficeKMS folder and run the following command:

cscript kms_host.vbs

7) If the KMS host machine has Internet connectivity, click Yes to enter the Office KMS host product key and activate online. Otherwise, click No, and press Enter to close the command window.

Open an elevated command prompt and run the following command line to check the installation, licensing state, and current status of the Office KMS host:

cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv bfe7a195-4f8f-4f0b-a622-cf13c7d16864

 See the following articles for additional information related to Office KMS host installation, activation, and troubleshooting:

Deploy volume activation of Office 2010
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624357.aspx
 
Troubleshoot volume activation for Office 2010
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624355.aspx

Office Deployment Support Team Blog, "Office 2010 KMS installation and troubleshooting"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/odsupport/archive/2010/06/01/office-2010-kms-installation-and-troubleshooting.aspx

Overview:

Active Directory-Based activation uses your existing Active Directory infrastructure to host activation for Microsoft Office 2013 Volume-Licensed (VL) clients, through their connection to the domain.

Prerequisites:

Both on the host as well as client side, the Active Directory-Based activation requires either a Windows 8 VL computer or a WindowsServer 2012 computer.  It uses the same GVLK/KMS host key (CSVLK) pair that KMS activation uses.  It also requires the installation of Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack.

Installation:

STEP 1: Download the Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack from the Microsoft Download Center (MSDL) site.

STEP 2: Double-click the downloaded EXE to run it:

STEP 3: Once the EXE finishes running, you will see theVolume Activation Tools wizard pop-up:

STEP 4: On the next screen, choose Active Directory-Based Activation:

STEP 5: Next enter the KMS host (CSVLK) key and optionally give it a name:

STEP 6:Choose activation method, online or phone:

STEP 7: Activation Succeeded:

Overview:

The KMS activation process for Microsoft Office 2013 is the same as what it was for Microsoft Office 2010. However, the interface to setup the KMS host for Microsoft Office 2013 on a Windows Server 2012 has been updated to use the Volume Activation Tools.

Prerequisites:

Microsoft Office 2013 running on both Windows 7 and Windows 8 client computers can be activated by installing the Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack on a Windows Server 2012, or on one of the other supported host systems including Windows 7 VL edition, Windows 8 VL edition and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Installation:

STEP 1: Download the Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack from the Microsoft Download Center (MSDL) site:

STEP 2: Double-click the downloaded EXE to run it:

STEP 3: Once the EXE finishes running, the Volume Activation Tools wizard will appear:

STEP 4: On the next screen, choose Key Management Service (KMS) and browse to, or specify the name of, the system running Key Management Service. Typically, this would be the system you are running the Volume Activation Tools on:

STEP 5: Next, enter the KMS host (CSVLK) key:

STEP 6: Choose activation method, online or phone:

STEP 7: Activation Succeeded:

Overview

Like the Office 2010 Welcome screen, Office 2013 shows the following First things first prompt, when a user launches an application for the first time:

More Information

Administrators can manage this prompt either via the Office Customization Tool or via Group Policy as follows:

Office Customization Tool (OCT):

Note: The OCT can only be used with Windows Installer based source files for Microsoft Office 2013.

STEP ONE: Using the OCT (setup.exe /admin), go to the Features section and select Modify user settings | Microsoft Office 2013 | Privacy | Trust Center

STEP TWO: Configure each setting under Trust Center that best suits your needs.  If you wish to disable all of these settings, set the first one to Enabled and all the rest to Disabled as shown below

STEP THREE: Save the MSP file and place it in the Updates folder of your source files prior to deploying Microsoft Office 2013

Group Policy:

STEP ONE: If you have not already, download the Office 2013 Administrative Template files. These can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35554

STEP TWO: Copy the ADMX files to %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions and the ADML files to the language specific folder (such as en-us) under %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions. 

STEP THREE: Using the Group Policy Management Editor go to User Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates: Policy definitions | Microsoft Office 2013 | Privacy | Trust Center

STEP FOUR: Configure each setting under Trust Center that best suits your needs.  If you wish to disable all of these settings, set the first one to Enabled and all the rest to Disabled as shown below

 Note: If you would like to manage the First Run screens, please see my other blog post on this topic.

Overview

Microsoft Office 2013 shows the following screens when an application is launched for the first time:

More Information

Both the Office Customization Tool (OCT) and Group Policy Management Editor provide a way to disable these First Run screens

Office Customization Tool (OCT)

Note: The OCT can only be used with Windows Installer based source files for Microsoft Office 2013.

STEP ONE: Using the OCT (setup.exe /admin), go to the Features section and select Modify user settings | Microsoft Office 2013 | First Run | Disable First Run Movie

STEP TWO: Set the Disable First Run Movie to Enabled

STEP THREE:Select the Disable First Run on application boot and set it to Enabled as well

STEP FOUR: Save the resulting MSP file and use it as part of the Microsoft Office 2013 deployment

Group Policy Management Editor

STEP ONE: If you have not already, download the Office 2013 Administrative Template files. These can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35554

STEP TWO: Copy the ADMX files to %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions and the ADML files to the language specific folder (such as en-us) under %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions.

STEP THREE: Using the Group Policy Management Editor go to User Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates: Policy definitions | Microsoft Office 2013 | First Run

STEP FOUR: Set the Disable First Run Movie to Enabled and the Disable Office First Run on application boot to Enabled

Note: If you would like to manage the Opt-in or First things first prompt, please see my other blog post.

If you are attempting to set up an Office 2010 or Office 2013 KMS host by using the slmgr.vbs script, the "/ipk" switch, and a valid Office KMS host product key, the following error will occur:

Error: 0xC004F050 The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid

Unlike Windows KMS host setup, Office KMS host setup involves installing a separate “KMS host license pack”, entering a related product key, and activating online or via phone.
 
See the following articles for additional information, to download the KMS host license packs, and step-by-step instructions for setting up Office KMS hosts:

Deploy volume activation of Office 2010 / Prepare and configure the KMS host
http://technet.microsoft.com/library/ee624357(office.14).aspx#section2

Download: Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25095

Deploy volume activation of Office 2013 / Prepare and configure the Office KMS host
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624357(v=office.15).aspx#section2

Download: Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35584

Overview

Unlike earlier versions of Microsoft Office, the Microsoft Office 2013 applications, when started, show a Start screen similar to the following, rather than opening the default blank template:

More Information

You can use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) or the Group Policy Management Editor to manage this Start screen.

Office Customization Tool (OCT):

Note: The OCT can only be used with Windows Installer based source files for Microsoft Office 2013.

STEP ONE: Using the OCT (setup.exe /admin), locate the "Disable the Office Start screen for all Office applications" under Features | Modify user settings | Microsoft Office 2013 | Miscellaneous:

STEP TWO: Enable the "Disable the Office Start screen for all Office applications" setting:

STEP THREE: Save the MSP file and place it in the Updates folder of your source files prior to deploying Microsoft Office 2013

Group Policy:

STEP ONE: If you have not already, download the Office 2013 Administrative Template files. These can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35554

STEP TWO: Copy the ADMX files to %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions and the ADML files to the language specific folder (such as en-us) under %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions.

STEP THREE: Using the Group Policy Management Editor, locate the "Disable the Office Start screen for all Office applications" under User Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates: Policy definitions | Microsoft Office 2013 | Miscellaneous:

STEP FOUR: Enable the "Disable the Office Start screen for all Office applications" setting:

The installation of the Office 2013 Click-to-Run version may appear to hang at "10% - Configuring..." when installing from a network share.

The Click-to-Run installation uses a service to manage the virtual file system during the intial portion of the setup process (up to 10% in the installation user interface progress screen), and the remainder of the process involves tasks required to integrate with Windows and cache the files onto the local hard drive. At 10%, because Windows Installer hands off additional task to the service, the System account (interactive Session 0) manages the remaining processes to install Office. This means that the System account needs access to the share or location where Office installation files are contained.

You will need to add the "Domain Computers" group to the network share to successfully install. To do so:

1. Right click on the folder where the Office installation files reside and choose Properties.
2. Click on the Security tab and then edit the Group or user names field by clicking on the Edit tab.
3. Click the Add tab and type in Domain Computers under the “Enter the object names to select” box and click Check Names.

An example of the added group is Domain Computers (CORP\Domain Computers); where "CORP" should reflect the name of your domain. If you have multiple domains in your environment, you will need to add each one.

By default, the group has the following permissions: Read & execute, List folder contents and Read.

We recommend running the Office 2013 troubleshooter to clean up the failed installation, prior to attempting the network installation again.