Apache OpenOffice Silent Install (How-To Guide)

Written by Jason Bergner in Software Title Last Updated September 22, 2020

Apache OpenOffice is an open-source office productivity software suite. It contains a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet application (Calc), a presentation application (Impress), a drawing application (Draw), a formula editor (Math), and a database management application (Base). This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Apache OpenOffice from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.

How to Install Apache OpenOffice Silently

Apache OpenOffice Silent Install (EXE)

Download the OpenOffice Windows (EXE) Installer
- https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html
Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
Extract the contents of the EXE using 7-Zip to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice
Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice folder
Enter the following command: setup.exe /qn
Press Enter

After a few moments you should see the OpenOffice Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:	OpenOffice
Vendor:	Apache Software Foundation
Version:	4.17.9800
Architecture:	x86
Installer Type:	EXE
Silent Install Switch:	`setup.exe /qn`
Silent Uninstall Switch:	`MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn`
Repair Command:	`MsiExec.exe /fa {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn`
Download Link:	https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html

Apache OpenOffice Silent Install (MSI)

Download the OpenOffice Windows (EXE) Installer
- https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html
Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
Extract the contents of the EXE using 7-Zip to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice
Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice\redist folder
Enter the following command:
- vcredist_x86.exe /q
Press Enter
Enter the following command:
- vcredist_x64.exe /q
Press Enter
Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice folder
Enter the following command:
- MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn
Press Enter

After a few moments you should see the OpenOffice Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:	OpenOffice
Vendor:	Apache Software Foundation
Version:	4.17.9800
Architecture:	x86
Installer Type:	MSI
Silent Install Switch:	`MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn`
Silent Uninstall Switch:	`MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn`
Repair Command:	`MsiExec.exe /fa {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn`
Download Link:	https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.

Additional Configurations

Create an Installation Log File

The OpenOffice installers offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.

Apache OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with Logging

setup.exe /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\OpenOffice-Install.log"

Apache OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with Logging

MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\OpenOffice-Install.log"

Exclude Desktop Shortcut During OpenOffice Install

The OpenOffice installer creates a desktop shortcut by default. If you don’t want the desktop shortcut, then you can run the following command line switches to exclude it.

OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut

setup.exe CREATEDESKTOPLINK=0 /qn

OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut

MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 CREATEDESKTOPLINK=0 /qn

Disable OpenOffice Auto Update Check

OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with Auto Update Check Disabled

setup.exe ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=gm_o_Onlineupdate /qn

OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with Auto Update Check Disabled

MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=gm_o_Onlineupdate /qn

Disable OpenOffice Registration Wizard

The OpenOffice installer presents the user with a Registration Wizard after launching the application for the first time. You can bypass the Registration Wizard by performing the following steps.

Create a folder called C:\Downloads\Files
Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
Add the following lines:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Common" oor:package="org.openoffice.Office">
 <node oor:name="Help">
  <node oor:name="Registration">
   <prop oor:name="ReminderDate" oor:type="xs:string">
    <value>Patch9800</value>
   </prop>
  </node>
 </node>
  <node oor:name="Misc">
  <prop oor:name="FirstRun" oor:type="xs:boolean">
   <value>false</value>
  </prop>
 </node>
</oor:component-data>

Note: The Build ID of the specific version of Apache OpenOffice that you are installing must match the Patch<BuildID> value

Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: Common.xcu

Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
Add the following lines:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Settings" oor:package="org.openoffice.Office.OOoImprovement">
 <node oor:name="Participation">
  <prop oor:name="OfficeStartCounterdown" oor:type="xs:int">
   <value>0</value>
  </prop>
  <prop oor:name="ShowedInvitation" oor:type="xs:boolean">
   <value>true</value>
  </prop>
 </node>
</oor:component-data>

Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: Settings.xcu

Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
Add the following lines:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Setup" oor:package="org.openoffice">
 <node oor:name="Office">
  <prop oor:name="ooSetupInstCompleted" oor:type="xs:boolean">
   <value>false</value>
  </prop>
  <prop oor:name="LicenseAcceptDate" oor:type="xs:string">
   <value>2099-12-30T08:00:00</value>
  </prop>
  <prop oor:name="FirstStartWizardCompleted" oor:type="xs:boolean">
   <value>true</value>
  </prop>
 </node>
</oor:component-data>

Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: setup.xcu

Create a folder called C:\Downloads\Files\META-INF

Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
Add the following lines:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<!DOCTYPE manifest:manifest PUBLIC "-//OpenOffice.org//DTD Manifest 1.0//EN" "Manifest.dtd"> 
<manifest:manifest xmlns:manifest="http://openoffice.org/2001/manifest"> 
  <manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data" 
                       manifest:full-path="setup.xcu"/> 
  <manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data" 
                       manifest:full-path="Common.xcu"/>
<manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data" 
                       manifest:full-path="Settings.xcu"/>					   
</manifest:manifest>

Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files\META-INF and name it: manifest.xml
Compress the files created above (including the META-INF folder) into one zip file and Rename the zip file to DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt
Copy the DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt file to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice

Follow the “How to Install Apache OpenOffice Silently” steps mentioned earlier in the article
Then enter the following command:

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\OpenOffice 4\program\unopkg.exe" add --shared DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt

https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/Administration_Guide/Deactivating_Registration_Wizard

How to Uninstall Apache OpenOffice Silently

Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
Enter the following command:

Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.

I am an accomplished Software Engineer at Patch My PC, leveraging more than 18 years of hands-on experience in Configuration Manager administration and application packaging. I am driven by a genuine passion for solving complex problems and consistently strive to discover innovative and effective solutions. Sharing my extensive knowledge of application deployments is a true joy for me, and I am honored to contribute to the community here at Silent Install HQ.

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Hi, I'm Jason Bergner. SilentInstallHQ.com was created to become the go-to informational resource regarding silent installs and unattended command line switches. I am passionate about helping others and educating those who have questions about software deployment automation. The goal of this website is to share the wealth of knowledge that I've acquired over the last 18 years and provide best practices and how-to guides.

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