Setup Essentials

For most people, installing Office 2007 is ridiculously simple. If you purchase a new PC that includes a preinstalled version of Office, you don’t have to do a thing; just find the shortcuts on the Start menu and get to work. To install a retail copy, pop the CD in the drive, enter the 25-character product key from the yellow sticker inside the software case, accept the license agreement, and click Install Now. It isn’t quite one click, but it’s close. The Setup program goes about its business using the default installation options. No rebooting is required.

The Office program files themselves are included in a large collection of files stored in several formats, including Microsoft Installer files, XML files, and compressed files in the Cabinet File format (using the extension .cab). During the installation process, the Setup program automatically copies these files to the Local Install Source. This is a hidden folder named Msocache, which is stored in the root folder of your system drive.