Microsoft can be so frustrating at times.
I started working on the third version of my Exchange setup script for Entourage and have accomplished quite a lot. It now includes a new component for configuring default signatures. Of course, it includes optional setups for not one but three signatures as I outlined in the section **What do I use for my own business E-mail signatures?** in my [Entourage Help Blog](http://blog.entourage.mvps.org) post *Don’t waste time with unbusinesslike signatures*.
That felt like a productive bit of work. Then I started some testing in a new identity. Arg.
I copied my test identity to the appropriate location in the User Template folder, switched to a brand new user and launched Entourage.
*What’s your serial number?*
What!? Why is Office asking me for my serial number? It’s been installed by an admin and I’m launching it as a Standard user. Is this some kind of defense mechanism?
So, next I copied the PID from my home folder to the User Template folder. OK, this stops Office from asking for the serial number but it now goes through it’s “I’ve never run before. Let me be nice and set up some things for you.” routine. Crap.
Next, copied the entire ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder to the User Template folder. (Keep in mind that I’m logging out each time and deleting the test account’s home folder between all these steps.) Entourage launches! Great!
*Would you like to make Entourage your default E-mail application?*
For crying out loud, do I need to copy every preference from my home folder to make this work!? What’s really annoying about this message is that it delays the Startup schedule I have set for a whole minute. No user would think to wait that long before thinking something isn’t working.
I may have to go with an idea I had for longer term, which was to create a script for the administrator to use to do all this configuration for him.
Remember the Human 