Software Deployment

may get more answers from the distribution forum.

It would probably be simpler to educate your users but, given that engaging your head with the nearest wall is probably more productive, consider building a script which your installation mechansim can call. The script would copy the Office app shortcuts somewhere safe (to which the users have no access, of course) and replace them with ones which call another script, one which pops up a message advising them what's happening. When the install completes, the script (which will be monitoring the install progress) brings the original s/c back. Hideously complex and probably over-the-top but that's all I can think of off the top of my head right now.

EDIT:
Not quite true: why not deploy these apps by Group Policy? Hideously lengthy and fraught with pain (no logging available by default, for example) but it will do the job.

Why not just change the apps so that they check for running apps before they will install, and reiterate in a message that other apps need to be closed before the install will work, make it so the msi wont run with the apps/processes running. That does mean no slient installs, and the user could say 'no" to installing the app.
Or, maybe make the install "full screen". They can still get to the start menu, but hey, if they are that deperate then they probably dont need any new apps or a computer that works.

Yep... we once built this really irritating flashing image that kept coming to the front & flashing (&closing outlook if you did not heed the warning to close it in 120s), & after about 30 secs, most users gave up on trying to defeat the deployment & usually stepped away from their machines... Of course, having a manager with good sense of humor went a long way in accomplishing this task [8D]