Recently I came across an issue when attempting to silently deploy Office 2013. I use MDT to build my image, and during the image build process Office 2013 is installed. I have created an MSP file using the Office Customization Tool that activates office and disables all first run pop-ups. After the image is created in MDT, I deploy it using SCCM 2012. After the system is imaged, the user is prompted to activate Office at first run. To ensure there was no issue with the MSP file, I confirmed the MSP worked by manually testing it on a clean install of Windows 8.1.
What I discovered is that even though the install occurs silently in the build process, Office thinks that it is a new install after the image is applied. To fix this, you have to rearm (pronounced re-arm) the Office Activation. To do this, add a command line item to your image capture task sequence (right before the sysprep item) in MDT that runs the following command “%programfiles%Microsoft OfficeOffice15ospprearm.exe”. This will rearm the office activation and prevent any pop-ups on first run once the image is deployed.
As always, if you have questions or would like assistance applying this in your own environment, contact PEI directly at 303-974-6881.
Andy Shaffer, PEI
