Deploy Office 2013 using Group Policy

Question

Below are a list of questions I have regarding setting up Office 2013 deployment automation. We are looking to deploy Office 2013 Business Click-to-Run using a group policy. We have already setup the deployment using the Office Deployment Tool and have
the configuration file all setup. The more automation we can provide the better to give the end users to best/fastest experience with this upgrade.
How do we automate the deployment process using a group policy?
Is there a way to have the Office 2013 deployment auto activate using the users credentials? We will be using the same password for all the user accounts for the deployment then having them change it later once everything is up and running. Would like to
avoid having to go around and help each user activate the software as well.
We would like to uninstall all previous versions of Office from the workstations that we're deploying Office 2013 to?
Thank you!

Answer 1

Below are a list of questions I have regarding setting up Office 2013 deployment automation. We are looking to deploy Office 2013 Business Click-to-Run using a group policy. We have already setup the deployment using the Office Deployment Tool and
have the configuration file all setup. The more automation we can provide the better to give the end users to best/fastest experience with this upgrade.
How do we automate the deployment process using a group policy?
Is there a way to have the Office 2013 deployment auto activate using the users credentials? We will be using the same password for all the user accounts for the deployment then having them change it later once everything is up and running. Would like to
avoid having to go around and help each user activate the software as well.
We would like to uninstall all previous versions of Office from the workstations that we're deploying Office 2013 to?
1. Because Office (in all forms) requires setup.exe to orchestrate the installations, classic Group Policy Software Installation (which requires an MSI file) is not suitable. This has been the case since Office2007. If you are constrained to use GP, you
will need to use GP Startup Scripts. There is guidance for this, in the Office resource kit library on TechNet.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff602181(v=office.15).aspx
2. Retail editions of Office, typically require you to login to the Microsoft Account where the license is associated, to validate the Office license. If you are using a product key method instead, you can use the PIDKEY element in your configuration.xml
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/jj219426(v=office.15).aspx
3. You'll need to tackle this yourself (there is no way to do this via C2R configuration). You could include the relevant uninstall-previous-version logic within your GP Startup Script (as a step prior to installing Office C2R). You'll need to cater for
whatever previous-versions might exist in your environment, and whatever the relevant uninstallation methods are for each previous-version.
Don
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