Updated 2003 Admin Install Point Problem

[David Levine]

What am I doing wrong?

I created a fresh admin install point for Office 2003 Pro (Volume license
media). Applied Office '03 SP 2 in the correct way (using full admin files,
extracting msp, etc.) along with these updates: KB892843, KB907417, and
KB911961. The updates run to completion (sure would be nice if MS provided a
confirmation dialog at the end of these msiexec runs).

After using this updated install point to install Office, both Office
Updates on the web and the Automatic Updates are telling me that I still
need to install these Office updates.

How can I find out why these updates are not taking in my admin install
point? The verbose logfiles I generate are quite large and impenetrable.
Anything to search for in them to shed light on this? Anybody have any
similar experiences or thoughts?

TIA, Dave

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Dave,

The online update checkers don't examine Office Admin Points and generally don't support updating online of installations that are
installed from a patched Admin point. Basically, it sees the scenario you have chosen as being one where you want to manage the
update process via your admin point
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011402381033.aspx
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832665/en-us?FR=1

=========
What am I doing wrong?

I created a fresh admin install point for Office 2003 Pro (Volume license
media). Applied Office '03 SP 2 in the correct way (using full admin files,
extracting msp, etc.) along with these updates: KB892843, KB907417, and
KB911961. The updates run to completion (sure would be nice if MS provided a
confirmation dialog at the end of these msiexec runs).

After using this updated install point to install Office, both Office
Updates on the web and the Automatic Updates are telling me that I still
need to install these Office updates.

How can I find out why these updates are not taking in my admin install
point? The verbose logfiles I generate are quite large and impenetrable.
Anything to search for in them to shed light on this? Anybody have any
similar experiences or thoughts?

TIA, Dave >>
--
Let us know if this helped you,

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

Pricing and Packages for '2007 Microsoft Office System'
http://microsoft.com/office/preview

 

[David Levine]

Hi Bob,

Thanks, I've been waiting some time for a reply on this. I realize that
Office Update won't examine and update my AIP- if my posting implied that
let me clarify now. I had patched my AIP in the recommended (and tedious)
way then used that patched AIP to install (for the 1st time) on a freshly
built WinXP Pro system. I was surprised to see both Office Update and
Automatic Updates asking for the updates to the installation that I already
applied to the AIP (the install source).

Notwithstanding Microsoft's "explanation" in the page you referred:

"This behavior may occur when you install your Office programs from an
Administrative Installation Point (AIP) that has been patched with hotfixes
or non-service pack public patches or updates."

It begs the question as to whether bothering to apply the full admin patches
to the AIP and deploying them with an admin method is worth the trouble.
This assumes that Office Update's report of needing the patch is for real.
If it's not, then why does it appear?

It would be more comforting I guess if the Office Update page said that the
products were all up to date. I was unaware of the disconnect between
managed Office installations and more common "public" installation patching.
If a patch has been applied to the AIP, then one of its installations should
not ask for it or even refer to it, IMHO. I hope that Microsoft can clean up
or streamline this seeming discrepancy in the coming Office version.

Or maybe my misunderstanding needs further untwisting??

thanks, David