Description of the Save My Settings Wizard in Office XP (298059)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office XP
This article was previously published under Q298059
For a Microsoft Office 2000 version of this article, see 259780.


IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY

With the Save My Settings Wizard, you can save or restore your configuration settings for Office XP programs. These settings are saved in a profile settings file (.ops file), which is a snapshot of registry settings and related files for your Office configuration.

The Save My Settings Wizard is also the Microsoft Office Profile Wizard. The Save My Settings Wizard is for users and is discussed in this article. The Profile Wizard is for administrators. You can find more information about the Profile Wizard in the Profile Wizard Help file.

If you save your Office settings to an .ops file, your settings are not written to the file until you click Finish. Similarly, if you restore your settings from an .ops file, the computer is not updated until you click Finish.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the Save My Settings Wizard to do two things: save Office XP application settings to a profile settings file (.ops file), or restore previously saved settings from an .ops file.

Install the Save My Settings Wizard

The Save My Settings Wizard is typically installed with Office XP. To determine whether the Save My Settings Wizard is installed, click Start, point to All Programs (Programs), and then point to Microsoft Office Tools. If the Save My Settings Wizard does not appear on the Microsoft Office Tools menu, the wizard is not installed.

If you do not have the Save My Settings Wizard installed, follow these steps:
  1. Quit all Microsoft Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  3. Click Add or Remove Programs.
  4. Click Change or Remove Programs.
  5. In the Currently installed programs list, click Microsoft Office XP, and then click Change.
  6. In the Microsoft Office XP Setup dialog box, click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
  7. In the Features to install tree, expand Office Tools.
  8. Click Save My Settings Wizard, and then click Run all from My Computer.
  9. Click Update.
  10. Click OK when Setup has completed successfully.

Save or Restore Settings

You can either save your Office settings from your computer, or you can restore your settings to your computer or to a different computer.

Save Settings

The Save the settings from this machine option instructs the wizard to capture your Office configuration settings from the Office programs you have installed.

To save your settings, follow these steps:
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, point to All Programs (Programs), point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Save My Settings Wizard.
  3. In the Save My Settings Wizard, click Next.
  4. Click Save the settings from this machine, and then click Next.
  5. Click Save the settings to a File, and then click Finish.

    Note: If you want to save the settings to a location other than the default location (for example, a network share), click Browse.

    Important: Do not use the Save the settings to the Web option. For more information, see the Save the Settings to the Web section of this article.

Note: The Save My Settings Wizard saves only user options that have been changed from their default values. For example, if you set the Word option Allow fast saves, but you do not change the Always create backup copy option, the Save My Settings Wizard saves only the Allow fast saves setting to the .ops file.

Important: The Save My Settings Wizard does not create or write to the .ops file until you click Finish.

Restore Your Previously Saved Settings

This Restore Your Previously Saved Settings option instructs the wizard to restore your Office configuration settings from the .ops file that you specify.

To restore your settings, follow these steps:

  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Save My Settings Wizard.
  3. In the Save My Settings Wizard, click Next.
  4. Click Restore previously saved settings to this machine, and then click Next.
  5. In the Restore the settings from a File box, type the path of the location of your .ops file, and then click Finish.
Important: The Save My Settings Wizard does not import the settings from the .ops file until you click Finish.

Save the Settings to the Web


The service to store your profile settings on the Internet has been discontinued.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

816040 OFFXP: Error Message: We Are Having Problems Accessing the Save My Settings Wizard Server on the Internet

To make this option to restore profile settings on the Internet unavailable, follow these steps:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK.
  4. Locate the following registry key:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\General

  5. If the Settings key does not exist, follow these steps to create it:
    1. With the General key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click Key.
    2. Type Settings, and the press ENTER.
  6. With the Settings key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
  7. Type disableWebOPW, and then press ENTER.
  8. With disableWebOPW selected, click Modify on the Edit menu.
  9. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
  10. On the Registry menu, click Exit.

Files and Folders That the Save My Settings Wizard Saves

The Save My Settings Wizard saves only files and subfolders stored in the following folder locations:

AppData\Microsoft\AddIns
AppData\Microsoft\ClipGallery
AppData\Microsoft\Excel
AppData\Microsoft\FrontPage
AppData\Microsoft\Graph
AppData\Microsoft\Office
AppData\Microsoft\Outlook
AppData\Microsoft\PowerPoint
AppData\Microsoft\Proof
AppData\Microsoft\Queries
AppData\Microsoft\Signatures
AppData\Microsoft\Stationery
AppData\Microsoft\Templates
AppData\Microsoft\Themes
AppData\Microsoft\Word

Note: AppData refers to the following on your hard disk:

In Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 2000

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data

In Windows NT 4.0

C:\Winnt\Profiles\username\Application Data

In Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition and Microsoft Windows 98

C:\Windows\Application Data

Files That the Save My Settings Wizard Excludes

The Save My Settings Wizard excludes (does not save) the following files:

*.ost
*.pab
*.pst
*.tmp
AppData\Microsoft\Word\*.ASD
AppData\Microsoft\Word\*.WBK

Files That Are Deleted Before Data Is Restored from the .ops File

The Save My Settings Wizard removes the following folders before writing data from the .ops file:

AppData\Microsoft\Office\Shortcut Bar
AppData\Microsoft\FrontPage

Files That Are Not Removed

The following files are not removed before settings are restored from the .ops file:

*.pst
*.dic
*.ost
*.pab

Registry Settings That Are Saved

The Save My Settings Wizard saves registry settings stored in the following registry keys. All values and subkeys in the specified tree are included:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Access
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Graph
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\NetFolder
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Osa
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\PowerPoint
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Shortcut Bar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Web Server
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Publisher
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\ClipGallery
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Access
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\FrontPage
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Font Mapping
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Outlook\Journaling
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VBA\Office
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\International\NumShape
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\International\Calendars\TwoDigitYearMax
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\Office97
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\MailSettings\MarkCommentsWith
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows MessagingSubsystem\Profiles\Outlook
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook

The Save My Settings Wizard also saves the registry settings for the following individual registry keys. Only values under these keys are imported and no subkeys are imported:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\LanguageResources
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VBA\Trusted
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\UserInfo
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\Mailsettings\MarkCommentsWith
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\Mailsettings\MarkComments
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Preferences

Registry Settings That Are Not Saved

The Save My Settings Wizard does not import the following registry keys into your profile. All values and subkeys in the specified tree are excluded:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\Migration

The Save My Settings Wizard does not import the following registry keys into your profile. Excludes only specific named value, not subkeys.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Access\Settings\Prefs Migrated
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Access\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\General\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel\Options\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Setup\First-Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\office\10.0\Outlook\Journal\Item Log File
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\PowerPoint\First Run\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\PowerPoint\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\UserData

Registry Settings That Are Reset When You Restore Your Settings

The Save My Settings Wizard removes the following keys before writing custom values from the .ops file:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Access
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\FrontPage
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VBA\Office
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VBA\Trusted
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles

The Save My Settings Wizard resets the following keys to their default values before writing custom values from the .ops file:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Access\Settings\Prefs Migrated
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Access\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\PowerPoint\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\UserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\WebDriveUserData
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\General\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Excel\Options\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Setup\First-Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\office\10.0\Outlook\Journal\Item Log File
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\PowerPoint\First Run\FirstRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options\FirstRun

REFERENCES

For more information about the Save My Settings Wizard, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.Microsoft.com/assistance/2002/articles/oSaveSettingsWizard.aspx

The Save My Settings Wizard uses the OPW10usr.ini file to determine what application settings to save in the .ops file. For information about the format of the OPW10usr.ini file, a description of what it contains, and instructions on how to customize it, see the Office Profile Wizard Reference in the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/xp/five/wgtb05.htm

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/15/2004
Keywords:kbRegistry kbBackup kbhowto kbinfo KB298059
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