(post and mail versions differ)

Hi, Josh,

Thanks for your report!  

I'm not sure if you're working more this Finals Week, but in case you do plan to hit Fermi today let me get n a couple questions and suggestions about that Office 2007 installation. (And if not, could you please let Sara and me know the teacher or the location of the computer?)

You didn't mention if there was a concrete problem that interfered with that installation, or if you just decided to cancel upon noticing the statement that this is intended as an upgrade for installed Office 2003.     From discussion on first Class, it seems that techcos around CPS are by and large ignoring that upgrade-only requirement, and the ITS officials handling the communications about this have been waffling about whether this is a real condition to be obeyed or not.  In any case, it is not built into the installation software to check on installed versions, and this would not likely be the source of a actual error.  
An actual  error that has been seen says something about "missing /adminfile".  This seems to come up when the computers are not showing as fully remediated or maybe not in the asset database or something of the sort.  (Though it *may* have to do with seeking the older Office version.)
Of course the install can fail for too little free space or other lacks.  An actual free-space problem would be presented as such, fairly early.  But note that this installer is terribly slow, and does not show anything happening in the progress bar for 10 or 15 minutes!  
The workaround for the "missng /adminfile" error is to use setup.exe instead of CPS-Full-Install-LK.exe.  (Using setup.exe BTW gives you the opportunity to be selective about what components to install, and to change the installation area -- like most installers.  The CPS-Full-Install-LK.exe is meant to be unattended.) The setup.exe will need a license key -- I'm posting one version of this note, and won't post passwords or keys

The workaround (so to speak) for the ultraslow installation might be to go do something else for a while :).   But if it helps, yu can keep an eye on C:ProgramFilesMicrosoftOfficeOffice12 (or something like that) and notice that folders and files are being created, so you can know it's not actually stuck.  

BTW, if you do go to Fermi today / this week remaining, take a look at the progress in the Library!

  Thanks for a good quarter, and wishing you a very nice spring Break,

   ==Mitch