Running Office Applications from a Nondedicated Network Server

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.2, 4.3

SUMMARY

It is possible to run Microsoft Office on a nondedicated network server (where you performed a network installation of Microsoft Office) if both of the following are true:

• The nondedicated server is running Microsoft Windows version 3.1, or Microsoft Windows for Workgroups

  -and-

• You install Microsoft Office to a directory other than the network installation directory on the nondedicated server.

MORE INFORMATION

Some networking software has the feature of allowing a network server to also function as a workstation. This type of workstation/network server is usually called a "nondedicated network server" and the type of network is called a "peer-to-peer" network. This networking feature is built in to Microsoft Windows for Workgroups. Network users at the nondedicated server may also need to run applications that are shared on their computers for others.

Assuming that an administrative installation of Microsoft Office was successfully completed on the nondedicated server, do the following to set up Microsoft Office so that you can run the program on the nondedicated server:

1. To avoid accidentally changing the post-network installation Office files at the nondedicated server, it is recommended that you change the file attributes of these files so that they cannot be deleted or modified. This also applies to all files in subdirectories of the post-network installation. Check your network software documentation for information on how to do this.

   If you are using Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, you can do this in File Manager by selecting the files to change, and choosing the Properties command from the File menu or by using the "ATTRIB" command at the MS-DOS prompt. See your MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows for Workgroups documentation for more details.

2. From the nondedicated server, run File Manager. Select the local drive and directory where the network/administrative installation was performed.

3. Double-click the SETUP.EXE file.

4. When the Microsoft Office Setup program suggests a destination directory for each of the Microsoft Office applications (Microsoft Office Manager, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel) it is essential to specify directories other than where the administrative installation of Microsoft Office is located. Using new directories is the best option (that is, "C:\MYOFF", "C:\MYOFF\POWERPNT", "C:\MYOFF\WORD", "C:\MYOFF\EXCEL").

NOTE: To perform a network installation (Setup /A) to the nondedicated server, the best method is to run the Setup program from a remote workstation that is connected to the nondedicated server. This method is recommended because you cannot connect from one computer to a network drive that is on the same computer.

You can perform a network installation of Microsoft Office (SETUP /A in Step 3 above) FROM the nondedicated server TO the same server; however, when you do this type of installation, you will encounter the following issues:

1. The net connection information is not available on a server that is running Windows for Workgroups because you cannot connect to a network drive that exists on your own computer.

2. The shared applications (MSAPPS), such as Microsoft Graph and Microsoft Draw will be copied to the local drive on the nondedicated server.

3. When you run the Setup program, you will have to fill in the confirmation dialog box for the network information based on what a "normal" workstation user will see.

4. The performance in the nondedicated server is "different" from all the other workstations that are running a workstation installation of Microsoft Office, and will not take advantage of universal naming convention (UNC) paths.