Slipstream Office 2007 with SP2

While Microsoft made big promises for Windows Vista slipstreaming (and then failed mightily), it really came through with Office 2007: All you need to do is extract the updates from the service pack and then copy them to the Updates folder in the Office install folder structure. (And then optionally burn it to disc, though I just keep it up on a network share.) And because Office service packs are cumulative, you only need the latest service pack.

Here's how you slipstream, or integrate, Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2).

1. Download the standalone installer (290 MB). The filename is office2007sp2-kb953195-fullfile-en-us.exe in the US.

2. Create two folders in the root of your C: drive (or wherever) called Extract (C:\Extract) and Updates (C:\Updates).

3. Move the Office 2007 SP2 installer to the Extract folder.

4. Open a command line window (CMD) and type the following:

CD C:\Extract

office2007sp2-kb953195-fullfile-en-us.exe /extract:C:\Updates

5. Agree to the EULA and then close the Installer when completed.

6. Move the contents of the C:\Updates folder to the Updates folder in your Office 2007 install folder structure.

7. Optionally, burn it to disc.

When I originally installed SP2 it was on a machine that already had Office 2007, SP1, and a number of post-SP1 updates installed. So I just tested it on a clean Windows 7 RC machine to make sure the slipstreamed folder structure worked and that the resulting application version number matched what I saw with the version of Office + SP2 I previously installed. Seems to work just fine.

Discuss this Article 12

Dipsh t Admin
on Apr 28, 2009
I've been doing this for quite some time now. A point to note that this can only be used for the initial installation, but cannot update existing installations. Also, since the patched files do not get integrated in to the installation source, the Office setup program basically just runs whatever is in the folder once it is done, which can greatly increase the installation time on some computers. Still, this slipstream process is just so easy compared to the old methods, the extra installation time is well worth it.
wattsvilleblues
on Apr 28, 2009
How come SP2 wasn't so much larger, considering it contains SP1 (whose file size wasn't too far away from SP2)?
darkmax
on Apr 28, 2009
Done. nice and smooth. no pain.
DavidR91
on Apr 28, 2009
@wattsvilleblues: Presumably because SP2 builds directly on top of the SP1 codebase. So when changes are made, to say, WINWORD.exe etc. that file is included only once in its updated form, and that functions as both SP1 + SP2 combined
robertsjoe
on Apr 28, 2009
Microsoft coming out with a new version of Office is about as exciting as IBM coming out with a new version of Lotus Notes. zzzzzz
robertsjoe
on Apr 28, 2009
Great ad! PC. As Easy as 1-23. http://espn.go.com/
tayme
on Apr 28, 2009
@Bobbi Jo - You must find it very exciting...after all, you spend a lot of time here trying to convince people that your OS of choice is the only choice. You should find a different after school activity; maybe the chess club or something. --tayme
tayme
on Apr 28, 2009
Great advertising...Simplify your work. Apple Recommends for...All skill levels, novice to pro, helping you present your work or personal projects and get the most out of your day. Apple recommends it over Keynote... http://store.apple.com/us/product/TQ744LL/A --tayme
robertsjoe
on Apr 28, 2009
@tayme: Apple recommends it over Keynote? Is English your second or third language? BTW, Keynote beats PowePoint 200 times over. Office is dead.
lotsamystuff
on Apr 29, 2009
"Is English your second or third language? BTW, Keynote beats PowePoint [sic] 200 times over." Oh, the irony.
chuckb84
on Apr 29, 2009
At some level, Office remains a necessary evil, even on a lot of Macs. I use Excel and Word out of necessity (Pages and Numbers are good, but not quite substitutes, and not sufficiently compatible for document exchange), but I don't like them much. While Excel and Word (to a lesser extent) are reasonable tools, Keynote just mops the floor with Powerpoint. The ease of use and the quality of the results is so much better with Keynote. No Mac user with any sense would ever use Powerpoint over Keynote.
Waethorn
on Apr 29, 2009
"No Mac user with any sense would ever use Powerpoint over Keynote." No Mac user has any sense. Steve Jobs has each and every customer on his iPhone and shakes them senseless.

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