Microsoft Office 2003 and XP have create the “local installation source” (LIS) folder during installation on individual PCs. The LIS is a hidden folder that holds ALL of the files necessary to setup, restore, and add features to the installed version of Office. During the last step of Office installation there is an option to remove “local installation files”, when chosen it deletes the LIS folder and its contents. Note that leaving the LIS in-place eliminates the need to insert the Office install CD when updates or repairs are run later, but it also uses a lot of disk space.

The path to the LIS can be modified by the free “Local Installation Source Tool” utility from the Microsoft Office Resource Kit: download LIStool.exe from MS. The LISTool instructions cover disabling, deleting, enabling and relocating the LIS folder. Actively managing the LIS location saves time when repairing and upgrading Office and it can save a great deal of disk space on older desktops.

In any environment where Office wasn’t installed with an application management suite (like Microsoft System Management Server) or via an MSI the following error often appears during repairs or updates:

Microsoft Office <version name> Edition 2003 Installation Error: File not Found A required installation file %s could not be found Original Installation Source Required: If you installed Microsoft Office <version name> Edition 2003 from a CD, please insert your CD. If you installed Microsoft Office <version name> Edition 2003 over your computer network, please browse to the installation source on your network. Once you have located your installation source, click OK.

The above error can be solved by creating a copy of the LIST folder for the correct version of Office (ie: Standard, Professional, Small Business, etc) and placing it on a network share.

Microsoft released the Office 2003 SP2 today. The service pack contains both new and previous bug and security fixes. Just the sheer volume of previous fixes included in the package should make it a boon for slipstreaming into current MSI’s - but the new patches warrant some testing. Rumor on the web is that SP2 causes few, if any, issues. My first install on a clean XP SP2 system went well, but a well-used, XP SP1 system prompted to have Acrobat Reader 6.x upgraded to v7. Home users should probably apply immediately. Administrators, check and double-check, lest Office SP2 end up breaking Acrobat or even access to corporate document management/hide-and-go-seek software.

The one feature getting the most discussion is the newest Outlook junk-mail filter update. I strongly agree with Ed Bott’s review of the Outlook anti-phishing features. At least get the Outlook filter update - even if skipping Office’s SP2 for now.