PowerPoint 2007 can't view 2003

[Kevin]

I have a bunch of PowerPoint 2003 presentations and after the latest update
PowerPoint 2007 can't open about 30% of them, saying "not a valid PowerPoint
file". However if I go to another PC with PowerPoint 2003 they open fine. I
thought 2007 was supposed to be able to open all lower versions! I tried
reinstalling and so forth, but no luck, and I've sent to colleagues with 2007
and they have the same problem! Now what?

 

[Glen Millar]

Hi,

Do you get an error box pop up? If so, while the box is still on your
screen, hit <Control + Shift + I> and tell us what number you in the bottom
right hand corner? Note that I don’t think you have to especially install
this in Office 2007 as it is there.

Also does doing this help?

1. On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click New Slide, and then click
Reuse Slides.
2. In the Reuse Slides pane, click Open a PowerPoint File.
3. In the Browse dialog box, locate and then click the presentation file
that contains the slide that you want, and then click Open.

Also, can you check the path length? The total length of the path and the
file name, including file name extension, exceeds 258 characters.




--

Regards,
Glen Millar
Microsoft PPT MVP

Please tell us your PowerPoint version

Tutorials and PowerPoint animations at
the original www.pptworkbench.com
glen at pptworkbench dot com

 

[Kevin]

The code is 400010. I opened a new blank presentation and tried to reuse
slides from the presentation in question and it says "PowerPoint could not
open the file" (and the code is 400659). I then used a thumbdrive to take
that very same presentation to a computer with PowerPoint 2003 and it opened
fine. I also tried opening in 2007 straight from the thumb drive with no
problems. I could have sworn it opened fine in 2007 about six months ago,
but can't say that for sure.

I have about 100 old presentations in this folder, and the problem seems to
affect about 30% of them. They are not large or complex; the one I used for
the above test is only 56k and doesn't even have any color. I'm more than
happy to email it to you. It's sort of a big deal as these files go to
several of my customers and I'm starting to get complaints as they migrate to
2007.

I'm using PowerPoint 2007 version 1.2.0.6211.1000

Kevin

 

[Kevin]

Also - path length is only about 75 characters.

Hi,

Do you get an error box pop up? If so, while the box is still on your
screen, hit <Control + Shift + I> and tell us what number you in the bottom
right hand corner? Note that I don’t think you have to especially install
this in Office 2007 as it is there.

Also does doing this help?

1. On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click New Slide, and then click
Reuse Slides.
2. In the Reuse Slides pane, click Open a PowerPoint File.
3. In the Browse dialog box, locate and then click the presentation file
that contains the slide that you want, and then click Open.

Also, can you check the path length? The total length of the path and the
file name, including file name extension, exceeds 258 characters.




--

Regards,
Glen Millar
Microsoft PPT MVP

Please tell us your PowerPoint version

Tutorials and PowerPoint animations at
the original www.pptworkbench.com
glen at pptworkbench dot com

 

[Austin Myers]

Kevin, any chance the non-working presentations were made in an earlier
(pre-2003) version of PPT?


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

Provider of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Kevin]

Actually yes. These presentations are in a package that hasn't changed at
all in at least 6 years. They have gone out to literally a thousand or so
customers in that time with no complaints until a couple months ago, all from
users using 2007. The presentations were all opened with 2003 and presumably
resaved.

I'll be at a computer tomorrow that still has 2003 on it, so my plan is to
open in 2003, make some form of minor mod, then resave. Then see if 2007 can
open.

Kevin

 

[John Wilson]

Some older file types are blocked by 2007 and by 2003 SP3 for "security
reasons"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922847/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/938810/en-ussupport

I wouldn't mind seeing one of the blocked files as for some reason my old
files seem to open OK!?
--
Amazing PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials

http://www.PPTAlchemy.co.uk
http://www.technologytrish.co.uk
email john AT technologytrish.co.uk