Remove MSOCache from VDI template

If you are going to deploy VDI for your users and you have to install Microsoft Office for the users, you need to keep 1GB free space for the software installation cache files on the virtual machine’s C drive. One gigabyte space is important when you have plan to deploy the VMs as Linked-Clone VMs and it can reduce your storage cost and you can create more VMs.

Now, what is solution to remove the files without any impact:

1. At first step, install Office components as you want and take a backup from this folder “C:\MSOCache” on a network shared folder our another drive.
2. Remove the folder from the VM’s C drive.
3. Make an ISO file from the backup folder. You can also rename the folder, it doesn’t matter.
4. Create a symbolic link by MKLINK command and make a “Directory Junction” on C drive, for example:
   • MKLINK /J C:\MSOCahce E:\MSOCache
   • E: is your CD-ROM drive your VM.

Then, if you need to modify Office components, you can mount the ISO file and do your modification.

Of course, you can make the symbolic link when you need to this.

There is another solution but it’s very difficult, you have to change cache path on registry.

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