With this Beta release, there have been some substantial changes that we need to account for. I will summarize these the best I can.

• MS has added a Software Protection Service to the product. This service is meant to prevent piracy of Office and forces the application to check for a valid license. This new service is administered via a couple of methods we will describe shortly.
• In connection with bullet #1, MS has eliminated the VLK key that we always told ThinApp users to use when packaging Office 2003/2007. As such, there are now only 2 licenses available. The MAK (Multiple Activation Key) which needs to call home to the mothership to activate and 2) the KMS (Key Management Server) key which requires the Key Management service on the network. In either case, the use of the VMAT (Volume Activation Management Tool) to install the licenses is the preferred method. So, this means there is no longer a key that can be used without the need to activate against some server or service.

So, where does this leave us? Well, Microsoft just released notes and software around a Deployment Kit for Office 2010 that places the majority of the files and services locally on the workstation in order for Office to be licensed and work properly. This new process is both good and bad. The bad is that you will have to have an additional piece of software installed on your local workstation to support Office 2010 in a licensed environment and to ensure certain functions work correctly. The good is that we have a process that you can use to test Office 2010 with in an “unofficially licensed mode”. Of course, we always recommend that you install and run in the licensed mode to ensure compliance with your purchases. However, we would be remiss in not explaining the options available to configuring both modes with ThinApp.

Rest assured, we will be looking at how to bring these local services into the virtual environment in order to achieve a single, uniform and reproducible .exe that doesn’t require local software of any kind. Remember, this is a Microsoft thing right now, so we just want to ensure you can use Office 2010 in the manner they expect it to function. Also, these procedures are for use with the VMware ThinApp 4.0.4 version to ensure that your final package can run on both Windows XP and Windows 7.

So, here we go. The first process I am going to give you is the one that will allow you to capture and run Office 2010 in an “unlicensed mode”. The key for doing this is to allow you to test during the beta of Office around features and functionality (given the absence of a license doesn’t prevent this) so as to avoid handling many activation requests. The second is the process by which you will use the deployment kit in both the capture and production environments. The idea is that by placing the kit on the capture system, we will exclude the services that Microsoft wants present on the deployment workstation so that it may interact with the licensing requirements.

Process #1: Unlicensed and fully virtual

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Next, using ThinApp 4.0.4, make a capture of Office 2010 with any components you like. Be sure to follow the guideline of choosing items to either be installed or not installed. Never leave anything for Run on First Use.
3. When complete, save your project out and copy in this script [Download Office2010] to the root of the project. The script will take care of the items necessary to make Office 2010 work.
4. Build using 4.0.4 and run on Windows XP and Win7!!!

Process #2: Licensed using Deployment Kit

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Now you need to install the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit. I used the following command against the .msi for my testing.
3. 1. msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PROFESSIONALPLUS=1
4. Next, install and capture Office 2010 with any components you like. Be sure to follow the guideline of choosing items to either be installed or not installed. Never leave anything for Run on First Use.
5. 1. TIP: The Windows Live ID service is something I left off. I didn’t need it and it adds a few additional seconds to my start-up time since it is a service launched when I invoke any of the applications. There are ways to keep that from happening later, but for now, I just dropped it.
6. Now, add the following values to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search\Preferences registry key:
7. • {4154494E-BFF9-01B8-00AA-0037D96E0000}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {C0A19454-7F29-1B10-A587-08002B2A2517}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {70fab278-f7af-cd11-9bc8-00aa002fc45a}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {c34f5c97-eb05-bb4b-b199-2a7570ec7cf9}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {0077B49E-E474-CE11-8C5E-00AA004254E2}={REG_DWORD}1
8. When complete, perform your post scan, save your project out and build.

Process #2a: Running on a Workstation with the Deployment Kit

Now that you have a copy of Office 2010 captured for use with the Deployment Kit, you can test on a workstation. The following are the steps required to pre-set your workstation using the Office Deployment Kit from Microsoft.

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Now you need to install the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit. I used the following commands against the .msi for my testing.
3. • msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PROFESSIONALPLUS=1
   • msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PIDKEYS=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
   • TIP: You can use the VMAT tool against the workstation to install the product code as well, I just found using the PIDKEYS= value a bit easier for testing. I would assume you would want to use the VMAT for large-scale deployments for either MAK or KMS keys.
4. Now you just have to run your ThinApp copy of Office 2010. The activation dialog will appear and allow you to activate the key you inputted.

Pretty simple stuff! This is VMware's first pass at this so your results may vary based on your configuration and need but they are confident that the above recipe will help guide you through your testing.  As information comes available and/or the product changes in RC, we will keep you posted on any changes we discover or recommendations we have on how to package and run Office 2010.

Happy ThinApping!