Determine when to install Outlook 2007
Updated: April 9, 2009
Applies To: Office Resource Kit
This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.
Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14
You can install Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 before, with, or after an installation of other applications in the 2007 Microsoft Office system. You can also deploy Office Outlook 2007 to different groups of users at different times. Each installation strategy has requirements, advantages, and disadvantages.
Note
Installing Office Outlook 2007 without the 2007 Office system limits Office Outlook 2007 functionality in the following ways: 1) The Office Outlook 2007 e-mail editor has fewer features, and 2) Internet Fax functionality is not available. For details about how functionality is limited, see Impact of deploying Outlook 2007 without Word 2007.
Installing Outlook with Office
You can install Office Outlook 2007 as part of your overall upgrade to the 2007 Office system. Office Outlook 2007 is included in most editions of the Microsoft Office System of products.
Install Office Outlook 2007 with the 2007 Office system to eliminate the extra steps involved in creating separate application deployments.
Installing Outlook before Office
You might install Office Outlook 2007 in the following scenarios before you deploy other applications in the 2007 Office system:
To test custom solutions that rely on previous versions of Office applications (such as Microsoft Word 2003 or Microsoft Excel 2003) before you install the current version.
When your messaging support group has the resources to install Office Outlook 2007 now, but the desktop applications support group must install the rest of Office later.
Note
Office Outlook 2007 cannot coexist with previous versions of Outlook. If users or tools require a previous version, do not install Office Outlook 2007.
To install Office Outlook 2007 before you install the 2007 Office system:
Customize Office Setup to install only Office Outlook 2007 from a network installation point.
Later, create or update a Setup customization file with the Office Customization Tool (OCT) that installs 2007 Office system from the same network installation point.
For details about installing 2007 Office system applications in stages, see Stage deployment of applications in the 2007 Office system.
Advantages of installing Outlook before Office
If you deploy Office Outlook 2007 promptly, users can begin to use new features without waiting for testing or technical support to become available for a complete upgrade.
Disadvantages of installing Outlook before Office
Installing Office Outlook 2007 before you install the rest of the 2007 Office system has several disadvantages:
When you deploy the other 2007 Office system applications later, you must customize the installation process to preserve your original Office Outlook 2007 settings.
The Office Outlook 2007 editor has reduced functionality unless Office Word 2007 has also been installed.
Attachment preview in Office Outlook 2007 will not work for Office 2003 file types or earlier.
When you use the same network installation point for Office Outlook 2007 and the 2007 Office system, you must take extra steps to modify the installation options.
Installing Outlook after Office
You can wait to install Office Outlook 2007 until after you have installed the 2007 Office system. If any of the following scenarios describe your organization, you might consider delaying your deployment of Office Outlook 2007:
You plan to coordinate your Office Outlook 2007 deployment with a future upgrade of Microsoft Exchange Server.
You want to convert Lotus Notes to a Microsoft Exchange Server solution before you upgrade to Office Outlook 2007.
Your desktop support group has the resources to upgrade to the 2007 Office system now, but the messaging support group must wait to deploy Office Outlook 2007.
To install Office Outlook 2007 after you have installed the 2007 Office system:
Customize Office Setup to install only Office Outlook 2007 from a network installation point.
Later, create or update a Setup customization file with the OCT that installs 2007 Office system from the same network installation point.
For details about installing 2007 Office system applications in stages, see Stage deployment of applications in the 2007 Office system.
Advantages of installing Outlook after Office
In many organizations, it makes sense to coordinate an Office Outlook 2007 deployment with an upgrade of a mail server, rather than with an upgrade of other desktop applications. For example, if you plan to upgrade to a new version of Microsoft Exchange Server, you might plan an Office Outlook 2007 upgrade to follow immediately afterward—independently from an upgrade of other 2007 Office system applications—to take advantage of features that work together between the e-mail server and client.
Disadvantages of installing Outlook after Office
When you install Office without Office Outlook 2007, you must use the Office Customization Tool to customize Setup. This ensures that previous versions of Outlook are not removed from users' computers.
Regardless of when or how you install Office Outlook 2007 separately from the 2007 Office system, you must perform extra steps to manage customizations to the installation process.
Staging an Outlook deployment
Some groups in your organization might be ready to immediately upgrade to Office Outlook 2007, while other groups might need more time. The following situations might warrant a staged deployment of Office Outlook 2007:
Your normal policy is to stage upgrades to help ensure a smooth rollout of new software throughout your organization.
You have remote systems support groups (for example, in regional sales offices) that require autonomy in scheduling upgrades for their areas.
Some groups want to wait until after a project deadline before making changes to their local computers.
You have limited resources for staging and upgrading systems throughout your organization.
Advantages of staging a deployment
Staging your Office Outlook 2007 deployment gives you more flexibility in managing your upgrading resources. In addition, pilot users immediately become familiar with the new features and productivity enhancements of Office Outlook 2007.
In most scenarios, there are no significant technical problems when users work with different versions of Outlook. Office Outlook 2007 users can communicate seamlessly with users of Outlook 2003 and Office 2003. However, if users have set up delegate access in Outlook, the person granting delegate permission and the delegate should use the same version of Outlook.
Disadvantages of staging a deployment
You must consider the logistics of scheduling and managing a staged deployment. Your organization might require extra resources to support users on different versions of the same product; for example, you might need additional help desk staff training.
For details about installing 2007 Office system applications in stages, see Stage deployment of applications in the 2007 Office system.
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