How to import a Windows registry file into a transform file in Office XP (309258)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office XP Professional
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard
  • Microsoft Office XP Students and Teachers
  • Microsoft Office XP Developer
  • Microsoft Access 2002
  • Microsoft Excel 2002
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2002
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q309258

IN THIS TASK

SUMMARY

This step-by-step guide describes how to import a Microsoft Windows registry file into a transform file (MST) and deploy this information when you install Office XP.

Many options in Microsoft Office XP correspond to entries in the Windows registry. You can customize these options by adding or modifying registry values in a transform file. To add multiple registry entries to a transform, you create a registry (.reg) file, and then use the Add Registry Entries page in the Custom Installation Wizard to import the registry file. Then, you can deploy Office XP with the transform that includes the registry customizations.

back to the top

Creating the Windows Registry File

When you install Office, Setup applies customized default registry options. You can customize some options that you cannot set in the user interface or that are not captured by the Profile Wizard in an Office Profile Settings (OPS) file by adding registry settings to the transform file. For example, you can include custom applications in Office Setup that require custom Windows registry settings.

A registry file is a text file that contains a copy of a section of the Windows registry. You can use registry entries from you computer. To create a registry file, follow these steps:
  1. From the computer that has the registry entries you want to add to the installation, click Run on the Start menu.
  2. In the Open box, type regedit.
  3. In Registry Editor, select the portion of the registry tree that you want to copy.
  4. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File. Follow the instructions to export the selection to a registry file.
back to the top

Importing the Registry File into the Transform File

An efficient way of distributing the registry entries to the user is to include that information in the transform file. Therefore, after you create the registry file, import it into the transform file. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
  2. On the Add Registry Entries page, click Import.
  3. Select the registry file you created, and click Open.
NOTE: The wizard adds the registry entries from the registry file to the list on the Add Registry Entries page. If the wizard encounters an entry in the registry file that is a duplicate of an entry already in the list, and the two entries contain different values, the wizard prompts you to select the entry you want to keep.

back to the top
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/16/2006
Keywords:kbDeployment kbregistration kbImport kbHOWTOmaster KB309258 kbAudITPro
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.