Installing Office 2013 Pro Plus RTM x64 on a fresh Windows 8 Pro WMC system.
Used Custom setup procedure to install only the desired software, i.e. unchecking most of the checkboxes.
After setup, a lot of undesirable software got nevertheless installed although it was specifically UNCHECKED at setup time, e.g. "Office Themes", "Microsoft SharePoint Foundation support", "Compare Diagnostics blahblah" + a bunch of outdated truetype
fonts.
No matter how many times we run again the "Change" setup from Windows' "Programs and Features" and uncheck these components, the setup routine does NOT uninstall them, with or without reboot etc. Basically, the Add/Remove function of the setup has NO EFFECT.
The setup also installs (offering no choice or notice to the users) a lot of undesirable bloatware e.g. some "Office Upload Center", "Spreadsheet Compare" etc. and several tasks (Office 2013 Sync-something stuff) & services & explorer hijacks (a greyed-out
"Skydrive Pro", what the...) AGAINST the user's will or consent.
These unwanted apps and hijacks seemingly cannot be uninstalled, not even kept from running and reenabling itself - except if killing the tasks using the Task Manager, then deleting (!) the files from their respective folders, in addition to editing the registry to get rid of all this stuff. Of course the crap gets reinstalled/reenabled with any further launch of the office setup...
Reminds me a lot of bad practices by malicious software. :|
Office techs and engineers, PLEASE don't promise a customized setup option if it's for it to be snake oil... And don't offer a post-setup "Add/remove" or "Change" routine that has absolutely no effect whatsoever... And don't install unneeded/undesirable
useless features as tasks and hijacks that cannot be killed or get rid of...
Or at least please mention explicitely that you know better than users themselves, what they want and need and decide... :)
As a sidenote, the same issues were present with Office 2010 Pro Plus SP1 - Sharepoint stuff and office themes and all that jazz was already installed even when deliberately left unchecked, and could never be uninstalled afterwards.