Change Macro Security Settings to Low during Custom Setup

In our conversion project, O2K3 installs the Macro Security in all of the
modules (Word, Excel, Access) to HIGH as a new security feature. We have
many 3rd party applications that use startup macros.

What we need is a way that during the Custom Installation to change the
security setting to Low without having to open application and set them by
hand.

There are many ways to do this.

1) if your using the corp version of office 2003, you can create an
administrative install point, and then use the office resource kit to create
an MST file which modifies the policy templates to set the macro security
level to low. MS do have some white papers on this.. see

Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...6a296a/ork.exe
more info here
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/as...513711033.aspx

Office 2003 Policy Template Files and Deployment Planning Tools (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...plain-Text.exe

basically look at this page
http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2003ddl.htm

2) A) install office 2003 as normal,
B) log on to the machine as a user account.
C) modify the macro security setting in each account. (and you could also
setup the desktop and start menus how you want them).
D) reboot the computers (make life easier instead of getting an access
denied in the next step when dealing with the NTUSER file)
E) Log on as the local Administrator
F) go into Windows explorer
G) Go to options and show all files and folders
H) goto C:\Documents and Settings (there should be 4 folders [Administrator,
All users, Default, and the user you logged in as)
I) Open the folder for the user you logged in as to lower security settings
J) Click on the My Documents folder,
K) Go to Edit and do an Select Inverse
L) Copy the selected files and paste them in to the Default folder (in
C:\Documents and Settings)
M) Delete the folder of the account you just logged in as....
now when any user logs into that machine their profile will automatically
have the setting you created in the user account you logged in as to lower
the security levels...

Problems (it's a per machine file in some cases, if your using roaming
profiles... their server profile will be downloaded... and a few more)

Personally I'd use the Admin tool

Good luck and let us know how things go..
"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

In our conversion project, O2K3 installs the Macro Security in all of the
modules (Word, Excel, Access) to HIGH as a new security feature. We have
many 3rd party applications that use startup macros.

What we need is a way that during the Custom Installation to change the
security setting to Low without having to open application and set them by
hand.

Thank you for the info Brodieman. We are familiar with the two options, the
most pracical is the first one. The MST, however, didn't work, it still left
the security on HIGH. It could've been done wrong, but I doubt it. Our SMS
guy is very good.

Any other ideas?

"Brodieman" wrote:

There are many ways to do this.

1) if your using the corp version of office 2003, you can create an
administrative install point, and then use the office resource kit to create
an MST file which modifies the policy templates to set the macro security
level to low. MS do have some white papers on this.. see

Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...6a296a/ork.exe
more info here
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/as...513711033.aspx

Office 2003 Policy Template Files and Deployment Planning Tools (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...plain-Text.exe

basically look at this page
http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2003ddl.htm

2) A) install office 2003 as normal,
B) log on to the machine as a user account.
C) modify the macro security setting in each account. (and you could also
setup the desktop and start menus how you want them).
D) reboot the computers (make life easier instead of getting an access
denied in the next step when dealing with the NTUSER file)
E) Log on as the local Administrator
F) go into Windows explorer
G) Go to options and show all files and folders
H) goto C:\Documents and Settings (there should be 4 folders [Administrator,
All users, Default, and the user you logged in as)
I) Open the folder for the user you logged in as to lower security settings
J) Click on the My Documents folder,
K) Go to Edit and do an Select Inverse
L) Copy the selected files and paste them in to the Default folder (in
C:\Documents and Settings)
M) Delete the folder of the account you just logged in as....
now when any user logs into that machine their profile will automatically
have the setting you created in the user account you logged in as to lower
the security levels...

Problems (it's a per machine file in some cases, if your using roaming
profiles... their server profile will be downloaded... and a few more)

Personally I'd use the Admin tool

Good luck and let us know how things go..
"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

In our conversion project, O2K3 installs the Macro Security in all of the
modules (Word, Excel, Access) to HIGH as a new security feature. We have
many 3rd party applications that use startup macros.

What we need is a way that during the Custom Installation to change the
security setting to Low without having to open application and set them by
hand.

The only other thing at hand I can think of would be to make changes to the
AD Group Policies for Office 2k3 to change these settings to low.. but if i
remember correctly they appear not just in the Office Application templates
but in the master office template.. but you've probably already tried this..

"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

Thank you for the info Brodieman. We are familiar with the two options, the
most pracical is the first one. The MST, however, didn't work, it still left
the security on HIGH. It could've been done wrong, but I doubt it. Our SMS
guy is very good.

Any other ideas?

"Brodieman" wrote:

There are many ways to do this.

1) if your using the corp version of office 2003, you can create an
administrative install point, and then use the office resource kit to create
an MST file which modifies the policy templates to set the macro security
level to low. MS do have some white papers on this.. see

Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...6a296a/ork.exe
more info here
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/as...513711033.aspx

Office 2003 Policy Template Files and Deployment Planning Tools (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...plain-Text.exe

basically look at this page
http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2003ddl.htm

2) A) install office 2003 as normal,
B) log on to the machine as a user account.
C) modify the macro security setting in each account. (and you could also
setup the desktop and start menus how you want them).
D) reboot the computers (make life easier instead of getting an access
denied in the next step when dealing with the NTUSER file)
E) Log on as the local Administrator
F) go into Windows explorer
G) Go to options and show all files and folders
H) goto C:\Documents and Settings (there should be 4 folders [Administrator,
All users, Default, and the user you logged in as)
I) Open the folder for the user you logged in as to lower security settings
J) Click on the My Documents folder,
K) Go to Edit and do an Select Inverse
L) Copy the selected files and paste them in to the Default folder (in
C:\Documents and Settings)
M) Delete the folder of the account you just logged in as....
now when any user logs into that machine their profile will automatically
have the setting you created in the user account you logged in as to lower
the security levels...

Problems (it's a per machine file in some cases, if your using roaming
profiles... their server profile will be downloaded... and a few more)

Personally I'd use the Admin tool

Good luck and let us know how things go..
"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

In our conversion project, O2K3 installs the Macro Security in all of the
modules (Word, Excel, Access) to HIGH as a new security feature. We have
many 3rd party applications that use startup macros.

What we need is a way that during the Custom Installation to change the
security setting to Low without having to open application and set them by
hand.

I'm having a similar problem. Deploying Office 2K3 using a custom transform
file with Low security settings through SMS is working for me. However
deploying O2k3 SP1 afterwards is changing the security settings to High. Is
there a way to prevent SP1 from changing the security settings? I've already
tried the steps mentioned in the MS Office article for deploying Office 2003
and SP1 together, but the security settings are still set to High.

"Brodieman" wrote:

The only other thing at hand I can think of would be to make changes to the
AD Group Policies for Office 2k3 to change these settings to low.. but if i
remember correctly they appear not just in the Office Application templates
but in the master office template.. but you've probably already tried this..

"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

Thank you for the info Brodieman. We are familiar with the two options, the
most pracical is the first one. The MST, however, didn't work, it still left
the security on HIGH. It could've been done wrong, but I doubt it. Our SMS
guy is very good.

Any other ideas?

"Brodieman" wrote:

There are many ways to do this.

1) if your using the corp version of office 2003, you can create an
administrative install point, and then use the office resource kit to create
an MST file which modifies the policy templates to set the macro security
level to low. MS do have some white papers on this.. see

Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...6a296a/ork.exe
more info here
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/as...513711033.aspx

Office 2003 Policy Template Files and Deployment Planning Tools (download)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...plain-Text.exe

basically look at this page
http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2003ddl.htm

2) A) install office 2003 as normal,
B) log on to the machine as a user account.
C) modify the macro security setting in each account. (and you could also
setup the desktop and start menus how you want them).
D) reboot the computers (make life easier instead of getting an access
denied in the next step when dealing with the NTUSER file)
E) Log on as the local Administrator
F) go into Windows explorer
G) Go to options and show all files and folders
H) goto C:\Documents and Settings (there should be 4 folders [Administrator,
All users, Default, and the user you logged in as)
I) Open the folder for the user you logged in as to lower security settings
J) Click on the My Documents folder,
K) Go to Edit and do an Select Inverse
L) Copy the selected files and paste them in to the Default folder (in
C:\Documents and Settings)
M) Delete the folder of the account you just logged in as....
now when any user logs into that machine their profile will automatically
have the setting you created in the user account you logged in as to lower
the security levels...

Problems (it's a per machine file in some cases, if your using roaming
profiles... their server profile will be downloaded... and a few more)

Personally I'd use the Admin tool

Good luck and let us know how things go..
"Computer Rx Inc" wrote:

In our conversion project, O2K3 installs the Macro Security in all of the
modules (Word, Excel, Access) to HIGH as a new security feature. We have
many 3rd party applications that use startup macros.

What we need is a way that during the Custom Installation to change the
security setting to Low without having to open application and set them by
hand.