MS Office 2013

Preliminary reading

The Info on this page is primarly based on the MS Office 2010 Page. There are only a few changed settings and you could install a volume license of 2013 by just following the 2010 Page. But one of the biggest changes is the SkyDrive and SkyDrive Pro integration which I didn't want on my systems and I wanted to share my knowledge.

MS Office 2013 (volume license)

Although Office is available in 32- and 64-bit versions, Microsoft recommends that you always use the 32-bit version.

For a silent install, you need to prepare a customization file. Launch the Microsoft Office Customization Tool using setup.exe /admin. Specify any customisations you require and save them to a MSP file. The MSP file can be saved wherever is appropriate, ideally the installer directory's \updates directory, or elsewhere. This file will be specified in the WPKG package and used by the Office installer.

If your customization file is in \updates, make sure that it sorts before all other files in that directory. Starting its name with 1 is a good idea.

Required customizations

For a silent install to work properly, you must go to "Licensing and user interface" and set Display level to None.

Optional customizations

Activation

If you're not using KMS, enter your MAK on this page. On first run, the user will be prompted to activate but will not need to enter the key or have administrator rights. To date, I have not figured out how to make activation completely automatic.

Disable the Opt-in Welcome Wizard

In the Customization Tool, go to Features \ Modify user settings \ Microsoft Office 2013 \ Privacy \ Trust Center and set "Disable Opt-in Wizard on first run" to Enabled.

Disable Cloud Function (SkyDrive)

In the Customization Tool, go to Features \ Modify user settings \ Microsoft Office 2013 \ Miscellaneous and set "Show SkyDrive Sign In" to Disabled. In the same place, set "Block signing into Office" to Enabled, then set its "Block signing into Office" option to "None allowed" to completely hide SkyDrive or "Org ID only" to only allow signing in to your organization's SkyDrive accounts.

Disable New Start Screen

In the Customization Tool, go to Features \ Modify user settings \ Microsoft Office 2013 \ Miscellaneous and set "Disable the Office Start screen for all Office applications" to Enabled.

PDF/A

If you require PDF/A, go to Features \ Modify user settings \ Microsoft Office 2013 \ Microsoft Save As PDF and XPS add-ins and set "Enforce PDF compliance with ISO 19005-1 (PDF/A) per your site's policies.

WPKG Package

The package structure is the same as MS Office 2010, and installation and removing is the same.

<package id="msoffice2013" name="Microsoft Office 2013" revision="2" reboot="false" priority="72">
 
        <check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013" />

        <variable name="PKG_PATH" value="%SOFTWARE%\office2013" />
        <variable name="PKG_MSPFILE" value="%PKG_PATH%\updates\my-custom.msp" />
 
        <install cmd='%comspec% /C start "" /WAIT "%PKG_PATH%\setup.exe" /adminfile "%PKG_MSPFILE%"' timeout="0" >
                <exit code="1641" />
                <exit code="3010" />
        </install>

        <!-- Uncomment to remove SkyDrive from Context Menu. It's possible that this is no longer needed with SP1. -->
<!--
        <install cmd='cmd /c "reg delete HKCR\AllFilesystemObjects\shell\SPFS.ContextMenu /F"' />
-->

        <!-- On upgrade, apply changes from MSP -->
        <upgrade cmd="msiexec /p &quot;%PKG_MSPFILE%&quot;" />

        <remove cmd='%comspec% /C start "" /WAIT "%PKG_PATH%\setup.exe" /uninstall ProPlus /config  "%PKG_PATH%\silent-uninstall.xml"' timeout="0" >
                <exit code="3010" />
        </remove>
 
 
</package>

silent-uninstall.xml

To remove Office 2013 (as per Office 2007 and 2010), create silent-uninstall.xml in %PKG_PATH%:

<Configuration Product="ProPlus">

	<Display Level="none" CompletionNotice="no" SuppressModal="yes" AcceptEula="yes" />

	<Setting Id="SETUP_REBOOT" Value="NEVER" />

</Configuration>

SETUP_REBOOT NEVER (above) prevents a reboot when Office is removed; otherwise it will reboot without asking after uninstallation.

Slipstreaming SP1

Until Microsoft makes SP1 media available on the Volume License Service Center, you can slipstream SP1 with your Office installation. These instructions are derived from the equivalent instructions for Office 2010.

1. Prepare a temporary directory
2. Run proplussp2013-kb2817430-fullfile-x86-en-us.exe /extract:"%yourtemporarydirectory%"
3. Copy the MSP files from your temporary directory into %PKG_PATH%\updates

If you've put your customization file in \updates, make sure that the customization file sorts before everything else in that directory.

Remove SkyDrive Context Menu

There is one annoying problem with Office 2013 Pro Plus: Even if you didn't install SkyDrive Pro, the Context Menu will still show up and you have to remove a registry key to get rid of it.

http://www.askvg.com/what-is-skydrive-pro-option-and-how-to-remove-it-from-context-menu-after-installing-microsoft-office-2013/

Add this line to your package.xml

<!-- Removes SkyDrive from Context Menu -->
<install cmd='cmd /c "reg delete HKCR\AllFilesystemObjects\shell\SPFS.ContextMenu /F"' />