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Previous versions of Microsoft Office used Acme Setup to install Microsoft Office. Acme Setup relied on tables of information in text files to copy program files, set registry entries, and perform other tasks necessary for installing Office on a user’s computer.
Office 2000 Setup uses the new Windows installer technology to install Office. This technology provides a number of benefits over Acme Setup.
Logically grouped features and components When a user selects a feature to install during Office Setup, the installer identifies a corresponding set of components to copy to the user’s computer. Each component consists of files, programs, dynamic-link libraries, and registry entries that work together as a unit. This more efficient management of resources also makes customizing installations a simpler task for an administrator.
Install features when required When you select this option for a feature or application, the installer does not copy the corresponding components during installation. However, the first time that a user starts the feature or application, the installer automatically copies the necessary components to the user’s computer. This option saves disk space on the user’s computer until features are actually needed.
Resilient components The installer maintains a record of all components installed on the computer. If a file or registry entry is deleted or corrupted after installation, then the installer automatically reinstalls the component from the installation source.
Efficient customization process All the data and instructions used during Setup are stored in a Windows installer package (MSI file). To customize the installation process, you use the Office Custom Installation Wizard to record changes to the master installation in a Windows installer transform (MST file). Because the original package is never altered, you can create a different transform for every installation scenario you need.
The Windows installer package is a relational database that replaces the Acme Setup STF and INF text files. The package contains all the information necessary to install Office 2000. The database associates product components with features and contains information about the installation process itself, such as installation sequence, destination folder paths, system dependencies, and installation options.
After installation, the installer continues to use the package to add or remove components, replace missing or damaged files, or install new components on first use.
The Windows installer transform describes how to transform the package so that Setup installs Office the way you want. Like the package, the transform is a relational database with information about components, features, and Setup properties. But the transform contains only the changes that you want to apply to the package.
To customize the Office installation, you no longer need to directly edit the MSI file the way you had to edit the Acme STF file. Instead, you use the Custom Installation Wizard to create a new transform with all the changes you want to make to the Office installation. When you run Setup with both the package and the transform, the installer applies the transform to the original package, and Setup uses your altered configuration to perform the installation.
The installer does not change the package itself; but only temporarily applies the changes in memory before carrying out the package instructions. There’s no worry about corrupting the original file. The transform is typically much smaller than the package, so you can easily create multiple custom installations by creating multiple transforms to use with the default package.
Office 2000 Setup takes full advantage of the improved features of the Windows installer. For more information about Office Setup, see Office Setup Program.
The Custom Installation Wizard provides great flexibility in customizing the Office installation process. For more information about the changes that you can make during Office Setup, see Office Custom Installation Wizard.
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