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The students in our school system login into our network using DLU as volatile users. Whenever they open a Microsoft Office product (2000/2003), the Windows installer runs forcing them to wait while it says "Preparing to install - Please wait", followed by the request to put in a username and initials.

This is wasted time since their profiles are deleted when they logoff, so let's just bypass all that.

Copy and Paste the following registry entries into a text file with a .reg extension. Create a simple NAL object and import the reg file. Associate it force run to all your students and Office products will open immediately without the installer running. All we are doing is tricking Office into thinking the installer has already run and user information is already in place.

REGEDIT4

// Registry file generated by the Application Launcher.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\General]
"FirstRun"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\UserInfo]
"Company"=hex:59,6f,75,72,43,6f,6d,70,61,6e,79,
"UserInfo"=-
"UserInitials"=hex:4a,44,00,00,00,
"UserName"=hex:59,6f,75,72,4e,61,6d,65,00,00,

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\PowerPoint]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options]
"FirstRun"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\General]
"FirstRun"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\UserInfo]
"Company"=hex:59,6f,75,72,43,6f,6d,70,61,6e,79,
"UserInfo"=-
"UserInitials"=hex:4a,44,00,00,00,
"UserName"=hex:59,6f,75,72,4e,61,6d,65,00,00,

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Excel]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\PowerPoint]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word]
"UserData"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options]
"FirstRun"=dword:00000000

Disclaimer: As with everything else at Cool Solutions, this content is definitely not supported by Novell (so don't even think of calling Support if you try something and it blows up).

It was contributed by a community member and is published "as is." It seems to have worked for at least one person, and might work for you. But please be sure to test, test, test before you do anything drastic with it.