Installing programs over multiple user accounts...

[Guest]

Hi, everyone...

I've had some problems with the installation of programs over multiple user
accounts in Windows XP Professional:

For example, when I installed Office XP from within my personal
administrator account, I am able to use the program just fine from my
account. But, if I try to access Word, Excel, etc., from another user
account (even if that user has administrative privileges), XP prompts me to
insert the Office CD so that I can install the program. When I cancel out
of the installation process, the program loads anyway -- therefore, I know
that that account *can* access the software; but I'm not sure why Windows XP
thinks it isn't installed, and thus asks for me to insert the installation
CD.

Any thoughts, anyone??

THANKS!
~Alessandro, aka WhyMe.

 

[David Candy]

Just do what it asks. You f*cking moron.

 

[Kelly]

Sure, it has to do with a missing dword value. Try line 171 (right hand
side). Ignore the name:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Sharon F]

Hi, everyone...

I've had some problems with the installation of programs over multiple user
accounts in Windows XP Professional:

For example, when I installed Office XP from within my personal
administrator account, I am able to use the program just fine from my
account. But, if I try to access Word, Excel, etc., from another user
account (even if that user has administrative privileges), XP prompts me to
insert the Office CD so that I can install the program. When I cancel out
of the installation process, the program loads anyway -- therefore, I know
that that account *can* access the software; but I'm not sure why Windows XP
thinks it isn't installed, and thus asks for me to insert the installation
CD.

Any thoughts, anyone??

THANKS!
~Alessandro, aka WhyMe.

The software wants to set some extra things up for each user: per user
application data folders, per user registry entries, etc. Pop the CD in.
Let Office do its thing. All done.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi, everyone...

I've had some problems with the installation of programs over multiple user
accounts in Windows XP Professional:

For example, when I installed Office XP from within my personal
administrator account, I am able to use the program just fine from my
account. But, if I try to access Word, Excel, etc., from another user
account (even if that user has administrative privileges), XP prompts me to
insert the Office CD so that I can install the program.

That's perfectly normal. Office is simply adding some components to
the new user profile to speed up future use.

When I cancel out
of the installation process, the program loads anyway -- therefore, I know
that that account *can* access the software; but I'm not sure why Windows XP
thinks it isn't installed, and thus asks for me to insert the installation
CD.

Any thoughts, anyone??

Don't cancel the installation; simply let it finish, and that user
should never see the prompt again.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



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both at once. - RAH

 

[Guest]

Actually I don't believe that should be the _normal_ sollution for that. In a
business enviroment, you just cannot customize office every time when a new
user logs in to the machine!

There should be a default configuration for all the users I recon.

 

[David Candy]

Business customers didn't agree with you.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

Actually I don't believe that should be the _normal_ sollution for
that. In a business enviroment, you just cannot customize office
every time when a new user logs in to the machine!

There should be a default configuration for all the users I recon.

Then install everything when you install Office the first time.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
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[Guest]

You guys obvioulsy haven't tried this software on full-scale, policy and
security driven system.

A user without admin rights cannot even start outlook at the first time
because the error message states you need to have administrative privileges
on the machine to configure at the first start?

Thus on windows xp all users has to have admin privilege? Pff...

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

Then they can't install Office!
When Office is installed install everything you want them to be able to use.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
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[David Candy]

They can. And I have experience in a policy driven (incl assigned office install) environment.

For myself, I copy CD to hard disk and tell office to run from CD (which is the hard disk).

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

Good solution.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx

 

[Robert Jacobs]

There is not alot of computer sharing in a business enviroment these days
anyways.....

 

[David Candy]

The program is installed. But it also does a per user install as it fully support XP's user model (one user can't affect another). It is not copying winword.exe over, it's customising for that specific user (after all one user may speak english and another german). To control users one uses group policy which office also fully supports. Also it may need to configure the current install to suit the user's roaming profile. Many features of Office are also Install On First Use by default. This is so only parts used on a machine get installed on that machime.

Copy Office CD to hard/network drive and run setup from there. This is the easist way, esp for home users. If space is an issue tell setup to run office from CD/Network (meaning whereever you started setup from). Then only user specific files will get copyed at all (dictionaries etc).

For companies read help. Setup can create an administration point. It similar to above but allows more structured custmisation of setup. But it works pretty much the same and ends up copying the CD (but in a flatter directory structure so companies can apply transforms and roll patches into it) and you can still tell it to run from CD/Network or not.

That said every user of mine has complained at the per user part. I don't know why MS did it this way. It annoys everyone. But it is very clever, just annoying as well.