PowerPoint or Windows problem?

Some years ago I made a Presentation using Microsoft Office 2003 Professional SP3. I also have the Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system installed in Windows XP Professional SP3. The following day I saved the presentation as a SlideShow. During the week I converted both to the newer formats - *.pptx & *.ppsx.

The Presentation opens in PowerPoint. But instead of showing, the SlideShow opens PowerPoint and then 7 dialogue boxes appear. Kindly have a look at the images. While they are stitched together, they are in order. All 4 Presentations & SlideShows are in the same folder - D:\Documents and Settings\NAME\My Libraries\My Documents.

The underlined text doesn't make any sense. What the heck is going on? :confused

 

Hi DavidGP,
The SlideShow (*.ppsx) has an embedded sound clip. Strange thing is when I open it from PowerPoint, it shows/plays. And it's in the same folder as the Presentation (*.pptx) which opens in PowerPoint. Likewise, the *.ppt & *.pps Presentation & SlideShow open & show.
Looking at the images you'll notice the address doesn't make any sense. Also, running all files from Windows 7 with MS Office 2007 from the other partition, they are fine.
I think the problem is somehow in Windows XP.

 

Greetings, Eldon.

I think you're right - I seem to remember that XP always had problems with file path recognition, especially pertaining to what XP thought were "important system folders" or some such. Lord help you if you happened to name a new XP folder "Documents"...:confused

Good luck - hope you find a solution.

 

Eldon...

I think this is MS' brand of security for office. If the sound clip plays, it must be embedded in the presentation, but it sounds like PowerPoint is still designed to check to see if the file is present in the correct location as though it is not embedded.

Hate to inject opinions on MS, but I think much of this "security" (assuming that is what this is) for MS Office comes through the security updates, and it's really all quite phony and annoying to me. I noticed a couple of years ago after updating Office through MS updates that videos always now cause Excel to request approval for them to play.

I don't know, but this seems so calloused to the purpose for the program being used. It's almost like they know that they can get away with dissatisfying users of older programs by using "security" updates of all things, when their focus should be on simply improving the newer programs. Again, apologies, but it just strikes a nerve with me...

 

Thanks Caliban and AtlBo.
I'm going to delete all the files, re-copy the *ppt and *pps files, convert them, and see what happens. I have had a similar eXPerience in Windows XP with other programs and files, and I found no solution.

 

Eldon...

Maybe a test would be to remove the sound clip from the PowerPoint and save it and then readd the sound clip from an XP location. If the pop ups cease, that would indicate to me that MS had too much time on their hands and at some point added the pop ups in the case of a referenced file not being present...

It could be that this is just a problem with moving files containing referenced media/files (or just to XP) and that's all...like a flaw in PowerPoint. Then again, I don't want to count MS out of having a little fun engineering dissatisfaction for those of us who don't need the latest from them...

:-D

 

Well I deleted all the Presentations and SlideShows and started afresh. I copied 3 Presentations and their SlideShow equivalents from a DVD and converted them from ppt and pps, to pptx and ppsx.
The pps, ppt and pptx files all behave as they should but all 3 ppsx files open in PowerPoint 2003 (Windows XP) with 7 dialogue boxes. Strangely enough, the ppsx files do open from PowerPoint 2003 and do show. Also, using PowerPoint 2007 in Windows 7, all files behave as they should.
One anomaly is I can't convert ppt and pps files by right-clicking and then selecting Save as in Windows XP. However, I can convert doc and xls files to docx and xlsx files using this method.

Maybe I should just write off this issue as One of the unsolved mysteries of Windows XP.

PS All Presentations and SlideShows were made by me, they all have fonts, images and sound clips embedded, and are all in the same folder.

 

Eldon...

This reeks so hard of Microsoft brand security. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually introduced the behavior "for your own good" and possibly even just based on the file being on XP. It could also be that the source of the file...like DVD, or it could also be, for example, the version of Office (in this case 2003). Or it could possibly be a combination of the circumstances or even something else...:confusedrolleyes

Anyway, interesting you can change the document type by right clcking on its icon or within the file? I have 2007, and I haven't run across this ability before. I always have used the traditional save dialog from the bubble.

 

AltBo...
Maybe Microsoft doesn't want PowerPoint 2003 to open ppsx files even though the Compatability Pack is a MS product and should also work with MSO 2002 and 2000.
Thanks for trying to solve the issue.

 

WOW! This is amazing! I have a Microsoft account but didn't realize I can do that.
I uploaded the file, keep in mind everything I posted. And thanks so much for the learning experience... I had no idea I have 15 GB cloud storage! I owe you big time! :drink

 

Hi DavidGP, was wondering if you got the file?

In the mean time, I found the problem and a solution. Unfortunately, I'm non the wiser what caused the problem. For the benefit of those still using Windows XP* and MSO 2003, 2002 or 2000, and the Compatibility Pack for the Office 2007 system, here goes.

In Windows XP > Control Panel > Folder Options > File Types, you can change what happens to a file when double-clicked, as well as add to or remove the right-click options. I first deleted and then re-added the PPSX file type, but in Application used to perform the action: there was carbage ie, it consisted of quotation marks, backslashes and spaces. I copied "D:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\POWERPNT.EXE" /s "%1" from the PPS file type and pasted in the PPSX file type. And now the PPSX files show.

I found another problem - the PPS file had no Open command when right-clicked. When I tried to add it, a dialogue box opened informing it was already there, but it wasn't. I went with Opens and after adding the command, renamed it to Open. Problem solved.

* I use Windows XP Professional SP3 as a secondary OS.