http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=25476
--- Comment #10 from Rosanne DiMesio dimesio@earthlink.net 2011-11-24 20:45:45 CST --- Yes, it's still present, but doesn't happen with every wineprefix.
The installer I'm now using is a slipstreamed version of Office Professional Plus 2010 provided by my employer. It does not try to activate at all during the install process, so my speculation in comment 6 about failed activation being the cause was wrong.