Hi there, I've been googling around for this one, I've found other people asking the same question but no answer...

The Office compatibility pack is 27Mb download. I've set it up to install automatically using an administrative install via GPO to our local network of some 40 PCs, it has worked beautifully. It's a great and easy way to ensure all computers have the converter pack - and a lot of other essential software.

Now that Office 2007 SP1 is out, they have released a SP1 for the compatibility pack as well - and it's 26Mb, nearly the same size as the original pack!

I want to roll this out in the same way, but I'm stymied. I've found this chap "EdwardoB" has posted all over the net saying he can't get the SP1 .msp to install... I'm getting the same problem. Here's the SP1 file I'm trying to apply

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

I'm using the terminology found on this site to try to apply the msp file to the original O12Conv.msi and nothing happens. The log comes up with this error:

- version numbers incorrect? Can anyone confirm?

I would like to know this too. While I'm not at home now, so cannot try anything concrete, I searched this board and the Internet and couldn't find any useful information. All topics are intermingled with Office 2007 SP1, which is not the thing discussed here.

So, +1 for any useful information!

(The reason is, for any future installations of Office 2003, I would like to eliminate having to install two packages on top of other ones that get installed - best way would be to merge them into one or even slipstream them into SP3, if possible).

GL

agreed. I'm also using GPO Administrative installs to roll out large size updates to existing installs on our network - to save time and bandwidth. I could use WSUS but I'd prefer to just manage stuff like this using administrative installs, since I'm not just updating Microsoft software.

*sigh* it might be time for me to look at WSUS anyway...

I've had some success. I extracted both FileFormatConverters and CompatibilityPackSP1 with Universal Extractor*. While the first seems straightforward one (.msi +.cab), the second has no extensions. I took a shot and added .msp extension (at first I tried .mst, but it wouldn't work) to the largest of the unpacked files from SP1 (so it becomes O12Convsp1-en-us.msp). Opened the O12Conv.msi of the first pack with Orca and selected "view patch" from the menu - it seems successful! (Successful in a way that Orca doesn't complain and seems to apply some logical transformations and not garbage). Unfortunately, I have no suitable computer to install it now (other reasons)... Hope you or somebody else can test it.

*I'm pretty convinced this directory is now the admin install point.

GL

Well, not full success. It apears that FileFormatConverters extracted this way is neither administrative install point nor could it be made one with msiexec /a. So manual applying the patch with msiexec /p also does not work.

I'm not skilled with ORCA to see if there is a prohibition that could be lifted. Or could the FileFormatConverters.exe be extracted (with some command line parameters) to admin install point? I don't know if what I described above could be saved in Orca as new .msi? (it's suspicious to me that it says 'VIEW PATCH').

Just some thoughts...

GL

Yes - I extracted the files from the executable using 7-zip and they didn't work, even though it looked like they did...

I've just realised if you run the executable from a commandline with /? it tells you you can run the executable to just extract the files - and you get a different result from using another program to extract them....

...okay both the converter pack install executable and the sp1 executable can be run with /admin:path to extract the files, and you get a slight difference in naming and an extra folder in the case of the converter pack - but still the msi in the extracted files does not install anything, and the sp1 msp patch still gives the same "incorrect version" error.

Sigh.

yet another update... I found a newer version of the file format converters install executable via another site... there are different version and there's no indication on the Microsoft site of whether there is a newer version... anyway I got it from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

...I tried to apply the sp1 patch .msp file to this - and got the same sort of error message.




This is confusing, since the first converter pack I got was version 4518.1014, the newer version I just downloaded is 6012.5000, and the sp1 installer is version labelled 6215.1000. It appears the patch is changing its mind about which version it expects?

Those are different components that are giving different errors. Boy this is a mess. ORCA expert is needed to sort them out. Anyone?

BTW, I had the second (newer?) file all the time.

GL

Did anyone ever find a solution? I am trying to patch the Compatibility pack as well and it does not work. Thanks.

No... I really should contact Microsoft about this one as I believe their MSP file is at fault.

I also found that Microsoft Update rolls out another update to the converter pack - simply called "Office 2007 SP1" - it's not the full 200+mb service pack for the full version of Office 2007, it's still 50Mb! For a converter pack that was 27Mb!

To summarize with what is currently closest to admin install:

1. Install Office 2003 SP3 separately (slipstreamed through admin install or otherwise).

2. Download FileFormatConverters.exe and CompatibilityPackSP1-KB940289.exe from links above (can be found easily).

2. Extract with the following command lines:


3. cd C:\AdminInstall

4. Install with the following line (after Office2003 itself has been installed):




Some more info (recent) is found on eggheadcafe:



GL

Are people still interested in doing this. I ask because I am working on the Office Integrator and the next release will have the ability to do this.

The process is this:
select the fileformatconvertors.exe
select the SP1
select the hotfixes
press create

The end result is an single MSI that has the lot integrated, there is also a reg file created that adds the entries to keep MU happy, I am trying to find a way to integrate this as well.

Go to link below to find out how to do it

http://kbalertz.com/952273/deploy-Office-C...ty-Service.aspx

Hello, do you know what are you talking about? What are you pointing on is not a slipstream, we are trying to do slipstream here, not to silently install app packages.

Cheers

Here's what I did, seems to work ok here.

Extract the contents of FileFormatConverters.exe
Make sure you have the Windows Installer SDK, you can get it as part of the Platform SDK, just disable everything else.
Using Orca, export the tables AdminExecuteSequence and AdminUISequence from the Sequence.msi found in the samples installed with the Installer SDK.
Open O12Conv.msi in Orca, make a new transform and import the two tables.
In the Property-table, add a new property, TARGETDIR and set its value to where you would like the administrative installation, "\\myserver\share\MS\Office\FFC" as an example.
Generate the transform and close Orca.
Perform the administrative installation:
msiexec /a O12Conv.msi TRANSFORMS=mytransform.mst
This will not show success or failure, add logging to check (/L*v mylog.txt)
Extract the contents of compabilitypacksp1-kb940289-fullfile-lang.exe
Patch your administrative installation:
msiexec /p O2Convsp1.msp /a \\myserver\share\MS\Office\FFC\O12Conv.msi TRANSFORMS=sameTransformAsLastTime.mst shortfilenames=true
Open the now patched O12Conv.msi in Orca, some files in the patch have sequence Id's which are not in the Media table even though the files do exist. The qnd fix is to sort the File table by sequence id, note the highest id and change the single entry in the Media table to match that id. I prefer to generate a new transform for this but you could probably just save the msi as well.

And after that you can deploy from the administrative install point:
msiexec /i O12Conv.msi TRANSFORMS=sequencefix.msi /qb-
Or via group policy software installation, which was my goal (will we ever be able to deploy msp's via gpo?)

//Anders

Thank you Anders,

Very nice first post. I will try it when I have some more free time.

GL

I got most of what I needed to put this together from this post and this board so I figured I had to give something back.

Another note for you people who do this with non-english versions of the converters and patch:
Apparently they didnt bother to change the language in the ARP-info in the patch so take a look in the Property-table before you generate the final mst if it bothers you (didn't bother me).

//Anders