OFF: Errors with Scripted Reinstalls or Uninstalls of Office (192945)

CAUSE

This problem will occur when you use the Network Installation Wizard to add files to Office setup and the format for the CopyFile script is incorrect. When you add a custom file, the CopyFile script includes a section name and a represented filename. There should be a space after the comma that follows the section name and the represented name of the file.

For example:

   Custom Files,FileNo0

should be

   Custom Files, FileNo0

NOTE: This does not impact the initial setup, nor maintenance mode setup from Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, but it does impact maintenance mode setup when using command line parameters, such as batch files or scripts to reinstall or uninstall.

RESOLUTION

To correct this problem and allow the Setup program to run successfully, perform any one of the following options.

Option 1 (Office already deployed, single workstation maintenance):

Use Control Panel, Add/Remove Software to do maintenance functions, such as adding or removing components, reinstalling, or uninstalling Office.

Option 2 (Office not deployed):

Update the STF to add a space between the section and represented file name. Use this STF file when deploying Office. To do this, follow these steps:

Make a backup copy of the modified STF file.
Open the STF in WordPad.
Go to the bottom of the STF file to the section labeled in a similar fashion to the following:
```
      !!!CDM!!!<tab><tab>Custom Entry Reference Data.
					
```
Find the lines that look similar to the following (NOTE: The information below is on one line. The ObjID and filenames are used as examples only.)
```
      13608<tab>yes<tab>FileNo0:MyFile1.ext<MyFile1.ext><tab><tab>CopyFile<tab>Custom Files,FileNo0
						
```
NOTE: You may have more than one line like this if you added multiple files using the NIW.

Add a space between "Custom Files," and "FileNo0"

      13608<tab>yes<tab>FileNo0:MyFile1.ext<MyFile1.ext><tab><tab>CopyFile<tab>Custom Files, FileNo0

For multiple files that were added, the next line may look similar to the following once you have modified it:

      13609<tab>yes<tab>FileNo1:MyFile2.ext<MyFile2.ext><tab><tab>CopyFile<tab>Custom Files, FileNo1

Option 3 (Office already deployed, needing to automate maintenance mode for a large process):

Using sample STF files for each type of installation, update the workstation STF file to add the space between the section name and represented file name. Copy these files back to the workstation in place of the original STF.

NOTE: The workstation STF is different than the one on the server in that it contains the actual destination location of all files installed and notes which files have been installed. In this case, follow these steps:

Obtain copies of an STF from a workstation that already has Office installed which represents each type of installations done to the workstations in your environment.
Follow steps 1-6 of Option 2 to edit each of those types of STF files.
Use a login script or SMS to back up and replace the STF files on the workstation with the newly updated STF files.

Note: The STF file placed on the workstation would need to be the same type of mode of installation as the original STF.

MORE INFORMATION

When you use NIW 2.1 to modify a setup table file, the Add Files dialog box gives you the option of specifying additional files that should be copied by the Setup program. However, if you attempt to run the Office Setup program using command line parameters such as /y or /r, the error Setup error 824 will appear.

For additional information about adding files using the NIW, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

179876 OFF97: Installing Office 97 Products in Mixed-Mode Environment