The Microsoft Office OneNote® 2003 note-taking program allows users in a corporate environment to capture and organize meeting notes, project details and other data formerly stored on sticky notes and in paper margins. Because OneNote keeps all this information in a digital format, users can take notes, store them, and retrieve them easily — and even search across all their notes for a particular word or phrase.

In addition, OneNote can capture diagrams, graphics, hyperlinks, and other information copied directly into the notes page. With the right hardware, users can use OneNote to save an audio or video recording of a meeting that is also synchronized with their notes.

OneNote uses the same deployment technologies as the all the other products in the Microsoft Office System, and like the rest of Office applications, OneNote can be customized to match the needs of your organization.

Deploying a standard OneNote configuration

If you are deploying Microsoft Office 2003 and OneNote 2003 for the first time, you can read the topic Deploying Office and Other Products Together to help you chain the OneNote package to the core Office deployment. Network administrators can also deploy a standard OneNote configuration throughout an organization by using familiar tools. Many customizations can be set by policy or on the Change Office User Settings page of the Custom Installation Wizard or the Custom Maintenance Wizard.

For example, administrators can choose a standard location in which to store the My Notebook folder on users' computers or on a server, and they can also set the interval at which notes are saved. (Unlike other Office applications, OneNote does not have a File | Save command. In order to facilitate the on-the-fly nature of note-taking, the application automatically saves to the My Notebook folder.)

Other customizations include the default file format and file size limitations for audio and video recordings, as well as custom stationery and custom note flags.

Deploying custom stationery

OneNote comes with a set of stationery, which are .one files saved with a hidden stationery name and that appear in the Stationery pane (View menu). Individual users can create custom stationery by setting up a page and clicking Save current page as stationery in the Stationery pane. By default, custom stationery files are saved in the C:\\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates folder.

Administrators can create and distribute corporate stationery for OneNote by using the following procedure.

To deploy OneNote with custom stationery

1. Delete any .one files from the Templates folder on your computer.
2. Create a new section in your notebook for a custom stationery group.
3. Create as many custom stationery pages as you need and then click Save current page as stationery in the Stationery pane.

   OneNote prompts you for a stationery name for each page.

4. In the Templates folder, rename the My Stationery folder with the name for your corporate stationery.
5. Copy the folder to the C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates folder on each user's computer.

   You can use the Add/Remove Files page in the Custom Installation Wizard to add a group of custom stationery files to a transform. Office Setup creates the folder and copies the files to the destination you specify on users' computers. If you have already installed Office, you can use the Add/Remove Files page in the Custom Maintenance Wizard to accomplish the same thing.

Creating standardized note flags

OneNote uses a set of note flags to mark key items, such as urgent notes or notes that require follow-up action. Users can organize and prioritize notes on the Note Flags Summary task pane and can also customize the icons and names for note flags.

Administrators can deploy a custom set of note flags to all users to make collaboration easier.

To deploy OneNote with custom note flags

1. Start OneNote on a clean computer — one that has never run OneNote before.
2. On the Format menu, click Note Flags  , and then click Customize My Note Flags.
3. Modify each note flag you want to customize and then close OneNote.
4. In the C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Appplication Data\Microsoft\OneNote folder, locate the Preferences.dat file.
5. Copy the Preferences.dat file to the C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Application Data\Microsoft\OneNote folder on each user's computer.

   You can use the Add/Remove Files page on either the Custom Installation Wizard or the Custom Maintenance Wizard to distribute the file to the designated location on users' computers.

Deploying OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1

In addition to critical updates, security patches, and performance enhancements, OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1 adds a number of new features to the application, including:

• Video recording
• Password protection for note files
• Screen capture from the Web
• Shared notebooks, which allow multiple users to add notes to a notebook stored on a server
• Shared note-taking sessions, during which multiple users can add notes to the same notebook
• Enhanced integration with Microsoft Outlook 2003

For information on OneNote Service Pack 1, see OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on the Microsoft Download Center. These new features extend the usefulness of OneNote for corporate users. If you are deploying OneNote SP1 gradually throughout your organization, however, then the new features may not benefit everyone right away. By adding value entries to the following subkeys in the Windows registry, you can deploy OneNote SP1 with only the critical updates and enhancements and no new features:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\OneNote

  Set the value entry EnableSP1FixesOnly to 1. This setting installs only the fixes in OneNote 2003 SP1.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\OneNote

  Set the value entry PasswordProtectionDisabled to 1. This setting prevents users from setting passwords for their OneNote files.

If you have Active Directory implemented in your organization, you can also use the Group Policy Editor and a custom ADM file to handle these settings. Use this code and the following procedure to create the custom ADM file:

CLASS MACHINE

  CATEGORY "Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Unmanaged Settings"
  POLICY "Enable SP1 Fixes Only"
    KEYNAME SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\OneNote
    PART "Check to enforce setting on; uncheck to enforce setting off" CHECKBOX
      VALUENAME EnableSP1FixesOnly
      VALUEON NUMERIC 1
      VALUEOFF NUMERIC 0
    END PART
  END POLICY
  POLICY "Disable Password Protection"
    KEYNAME Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\OneNote
    PART "Check to enforce setting on; uncheck to enforce setting off" CHECKBOX
      VALUENAME PasswordProtectionDisabled
      VALUEON NUMERIC 1
      VALUEOFF NUMERIC 0
    END PART
  END POLICY
END CATEGORY

To deploy OneNote 2003 SP1 with no new features

1. Copy and paste the sample code into a text file in Notepad.
2. Save the text file as an ADM file and store it in the \%SystemRoot%\Inf folder.
3. Start the Group Policy Editor.
4. Right-click Administrative Templates, select Add/Remove Templates and then click Add.
5. Select your custom ADM file and click Open.

   This step adds Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Unmanaged Settings to the Computer Configuration branch. To view the new settings in this group, however, you must first change the default filter for the Group Policy Editor.

6. On the View menu, click Filtering and then clear the Only show policy settings that can be fully managed check box.
7. Under Computer Configuration, expand the Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Unmanaged Settings branch.
8. Set the Enable Sp1 Fixes Only and Password Protection Disabled policies.

 Note   These settings are not stored in the Policies branch of the Windows registry. As such, they cannot be managed by policy. If the GPO that implements this setting is ever moved, the setting remains as it is.

Related links

To find out more about the benefits of using OneNote 2003 in a business setting, see OneNote 2003 for Business.

For more information about the features and improvements in OneNote 2003 SP1, see the OneNote 2003 Product Guide.

Standard procedures for customizing and installing all the applications in the Office 2003 System are documented in the following sections of the Office 2003 Resource Kit:

• Customizing Office 2003
• Installing Office 2003