You can increase your revenue opportunities by offering the 2007 Microsoft Office system suites preinstalled with a new PC. If you are unable to sell 2007 Office system suites at the point-of-sale, you can take advantage of opportunities to sell the 2007 Office release later in the sales cycle.
When you preinstall "Office Ready" onto a new PC, your customers can:
- Purchase and activate the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Customers can choose to purchase Microsoft Office after they have purchased a PC.
- Activate a free 60-day trial. The trial activates the Microsoft Office Professional 2007 suite.
The 2007 Microsoft Office installation CD is included in the 2007 Office OPK Master Kit. This installation CD is what you use to install the Office Ready PC image. To obtain a copy of the OPK Master Kit, you can:
NOTE The product key is not included with the 2007 Microsoft Office OPK Master Kit download. It is located in the Medialess License Kit (MLK) which must be purchased from an authorized Microsoft OEM Distributor.
Learn more about Office Ready PCs.
Preinstallation can be done in one of two ways:
- Over the network.
- With a CD.
For detailed instructions about preinstallation methods for the 2007 Office system, review step-by-step guides with the following topics:
- Automating deployment over a network.
- Using a configuration set on removable media.
- Using imaging technology.
- Setting up and manually deploying an Office Ready PC.
The preinstallation process is controlled by the use of an answer file called config.xml. The installation CD contains a sample config.xml, which contains all the required information for a silent preinstallation of the Office Ready PC image. When preinstalling from a CD, the 2007 Office system can be preinstalled silently without any interaction in just a few minutes using information similar to:
In the example above, E:\Setup.exe is the Office installer located on the 2007 Office install CD, and the config.xml is the answer file located on F:\ that controls the preinstallation.
NOTE Although the installation CD contains both the Office Ready PC image and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, only the Office Ready PC image contains the Office Ready trial functionality. Office Home and Student 2007 should be preinstalled only when sold with a Medialess License Kit containing the product key for Office Home and Student 2007.
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The Microsoft Office Activation Assistant (OAA) is a tool that allows customers who have the 2007 Microsoft Office system preinstalled on a new PC to:
- Buy a product key; or
- Get a key to activate a 60-day trial version of the following:
- Microsoft Office Professional 2007
- Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
- Microsoft Office Basic 2007
Once the system builder installs the OAA, the customer can obtain the trial product key and find more information about Office Professional 2007.
Learn how to download, install, and customize the OAA Update 1.1.
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- Operating system: Windows Vista or Windows XP SP2
- Internet connection
- Pre-installed Office OEM packages: "Office Pro (ORPC)" or "Works + Office Small Business" or "Works + Office Home and Student"
- Minimum hard disk space: 20 MB
- Minimum RAM memory:
- Windows Vista: 512 MB
- Windows XP: 128 MB
- XGA (1024x768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
- CD-ROM (or DVD) Drive if installing from OPK kit
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The 2007 Office system has an additional installation option called Referral Code. This code can be used in some marketing programs as an additional identifier for the system builder who preinstalled the bits. Most system builders don’t use this code and can disregard all steps on Referral Code preinstallation or usage.
When customers run the 2007 Office system applications for the first time, they see an input form for the product key. Depending on the installation options, they might also see an additional field where they can type the Referral Code. Typing a Referral Code is always optional, and the user is not required to submit any information.
System builders can eliminate the display of the Referral Code field from the input form by installing an additional patch for the 2007 Office system:
- The OSETUP.MSP patch is located in the folder \PATCHES on the 2007 Office system OPK Tools CD.
- To install it, copy this file to the C:\UPDATES folder before installing the 2007 Office system.
- Use the Microsoft Office Ready PC Installation disc to install the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
- If the 2007 Office system is already installed, double-click osetup.msp to apply the patch.
The code to disable the Referral Code field is also included in Service Pack 1 (SP1) for the 2007 Office system. If the system builder applies SP1 during or after installation of the 2007 Office system, customers will never see the Referral Code field. It is not necessary to apply osetup.msp if the system builder is installing SP1.
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Step 1.
A desktop icon, such as the one shown here, is created when the system builder has installed the Office Activation Assistant. Your customer clicks on this icon to:
- Begin activation of the Office trial
- Get more information about Microsoft Office, or
- Purchase Microsoft Office.
Step 2.
After the customer clicks on the desktop icon, the next screen that displays provides an option to activate the trial. The customer clicks the Try Now button to obtain a trial product key.
The customer can also click to purchase a Microsoft Office suite, activate an already purchased license, or receive additional product information before moving on to Step 2.
Step 3.
In the next screen that displays, the customer enters his or her e-mail address in the first text box and clicks the Submit button. The Office Activation Assistant then displays the trial product key in the second text box on the right. The customer clicks Now, click here to launch Microsoft Office Suite and enter your trial key to launch the Office activation window and input the trial key to activate the Office suite preinstalled on his or her PC. This activates the Office Ready trial for a minimum period of 60 days.
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At any time during the customer's 2007 Office system trial period—or within 60 days after the trial period ends— the customer can purchase a full-version Medialess License Kit for any of the three 2007 Office system products included in the Office Ready trial image:
- Microsoft Office Professional 2007
- Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2007
- Microsoft Office Basic 2007
To convert the trial to a full license, the customer again clicks the OAA desktop icon to launch the Office Activation Assistant. This displays a page that contains information on how to:
- Activate a purchased license of the Medialess License Kit; or
- Go online and find more information about purchasing a license online from Microsoft or from a local system builder.
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