The Custom Installation Wizard enables you to record changes to the master installation in a Windows Installer transform (MST file) without altering the original package (MSI file). Because the original package is never altered, you can create a different transform for every installation scenario you need. When you run Setup with both the package and the transform, Windows Installer applies the transform to the original package, and Setup uses your altered configuration to perform the installation.
By using the Custom Installation Wizard, you can also create a transform that runs additional Setup programs, such as the Office Profile Wizard, at the end of the Microsoft® Office 2003 installation.
For Office 2003, the Custom Installation Wizard has been updated to include new application information, such as additional settings for Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 and security configurations. You must use the new version of the Custom Installation Wizard to modify Office 2003 installations — previous versions of this tool cannot modify Office 2003. The Office Resource Kit installs the Custom Installation Wizard and its shortcuts to a version-specific location on your computer.
The Custom Installation Wizard is automatically installed on your computer when you install the Office Resource Kit toolkit.
Toolbox The Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit toolset (ork.exe) is available as a download. You can find this downloadable file on the Office 2003 Resource Kit Downloads page.
To locate the tool, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office Resource Kit, and then click Custom Installation Wizard.
Microsoft states in http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011402581033.aspx
The Microsoft® Outlook® profile file (PRF file) allows you to quickly create MAPI profiles for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 users. The PRF file is a text file with syntax that Microsoft Outlook uses to generate a profile. By using a PRF file, you can set up new profiles for users or modify existing profiles without affecting other aspects of your Outlook (or Microsoft Office) installation. You can also manually edit a PRF file to customize Outlook to include Outlook settings or MAPI services that are not included in the Custom Installation Wizard user interface.
As in earlier versions of Outlook, you can continue to use the PRF file to provide options for specifying additional Outlook settings or MAPI services, as well as verification for account settings.
The Outlook 2003 PRF file format is the same as the Outlook 2002 PRF file format. This file format combines the features included in two previous PRF file formats (used with Outlook 2000 and earlier). One format was designed for the Outlook tool Newprof.exe. The second format worked with the Modprof.exe tool for Outlook 2000.
Note The Outlook tools Newprof.exe and Modprof.exe are no longer required. The tools will not work with Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2002. You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to quickly modify profile settings and create a new PRF file that includes those settings.
Outlook 2003 continues to provide the following PRF file processing:
Most MAPI services and accounts can be added only once to a profile. The exceptions to this rule include mail server and directory service providers for POP, IMAP, PST (personal store folder), and LDAP.
You may already have a PRF file from an earlier version of Outlook (before Outlook 2002) that you want to update and use with Outlook 2003. If you have a PRF file from Outlook 98 or Outlook 2000 that includes Corporate or Workgroup settings only, you can specify the file in the Custom Installation Wizard, and the Outlook profile settings will be included in your transform.
If your earlier PRF file specifies Internet Only settings, create a new PRF file using the Custom Installation Wizard, and then export the settings to a PRF file. The new PRF file can now be used to configure profile settings in your transform, or used to customize Outlook profiles through other methods (such as starting the file directly on a user's computer).
To create an Outlook 2003 PRF file, you can configure profile settings in the Custom Installation Wizard, and then export the settings to a PRF file. This process creates a new Outlook 2003 PRF file with your specifications.
You can also specify profile settings by editing an existing PRF file manually using a text editor. This existing PRF file might be one that you created by using the Custom Installation Wizard, or a PRF file from a previous version of Outlook.
A straightforward way to create a PRF file with Outlook 2003 profile settings is to customize the settings in the Custom Installation Wizard, and then export the settings to a PRF file.
To create a PRF file in the Custom Installation Wizard
To specify settings to be included in a PRF file, choose Modify Profile or New Profile, and then click Next.
If your organization requires special modifications to Outlook profiles — for example, if you want to add a new service that is not included in the Custom Installation Wizard — you can edit the PRF file. Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit your older PRF file, or a new PRF file created with the Custom Installation Wizard. Make your changes or additions, and then save the file.
The main functional areas in the Outlook 2003 PRF file include:
The PRF file includes detailed comments for each section, describing existing settings and options for modifying the file with your updates. The file includes seven sections:
To allow each service definition to be customized individually, you can duplicate default variables and values in Section 4 under the separate headings (Service1, Service2, and so on) for each service in the profile. Section 6 also groups variables under each service definition, so, for example, some services can be defined as unique (UniqueService is Yes) while others are not (UniqueService is No).
You typically do not modify existing entries in sections 6 and 7. These sections define mappings for information that is defined elsewhere in the file to registry key settings. However, if you define new services in the PRF file, you must add the appropriate mappings for those services to sections 6 and 7.
The following table lists accounts that are unique, and how Outlook determines if a new account of the same type can be added. Keep this information in mind when you add providers in the PRF file. Outlook verifies that unique services are not added more than once, and that other services do not collide (for example, that all POP accounts have unique names).
| Account | Unique account? | Method for determining collisions when adding new account |
| POP | No | Account name |
| IMAP | No | Account name |
| Hotmail®/HTTP | No | Account name |
| PST | No | Full path to PST (including file name) |
| Outlook Address Book | Yes | Existence of account |
| Personal Address Book | Yes | Existence of account |
| LDAP | No | Account name |
| Exchange | Yes | Existence of provider |
By manually editing the PRF file, you can add any MAPI service that is supported by Outlook 2003. Services that should not be added include the following services that were supported in earlier versions of Outlook:
In general, you can also remove services that are listed in the PRF file. However, you cannot remove MS Mail, even though it is included when you generate an Outlook 2003 PRF file. The MS Mail service should have been removed for Outlook 2003 but was inadvertently still included.
Warning When you manually change a text file, you can introduce errors that will cause Outlook to behave incorrectly. For this reason, you should not edit and deploy a manually modified PRF file unless you have no other way to update user profiles. You should use the Custom Installation Wizard or Custom Maintenance Wizard to create and deploy PRF files, if possible.
You can apply a PRF file in several ways to update Outlook 2003 profiles:
· outlook.exe /importprf \\server1\share\outlook.prf
· outlook.exe /promptimportprf \\localfolder\outlook.prf
If you put the specified PRF file on a network share, the settings might not be applied if the file is not found or is not available when Outlook runs.
For an in-depth example of configuring users' Outlook profiles by using the Outlook PRF file, as well as registry information for updating additional settings, download the whitepaper Configuring Outlook Profiles by Using a PRF File.
For more information about customizing Outlook profiles by using the Custom Installation Wizard, see Customizing Outlook Features and Installation With the Custom Installation Wizard.
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]