Autostarting CD Cross platform problems

[Routsnorkgratnimopie]

Hi:

I am creating autostarting CD presentations that run like web sites without the
download times as an advertisement tool for my business. I set up the Powerpoint
presentation using PPT 2000, and then use the instructions on how to make an
autostarting CD from the Microsoft Information base (Article Q17397). This
article allows the setup of a CD to run a presentation on 'any' computer using
elements of PPT Viewer '97. This works great on most systems, but I've seen
several cases of the CD not autostarting and the presentation not being able to
be seen or used. I've tried to track which systems and platforms had the
problems. Most recently, a client, using Mac OS 10.3.8 was not able to view the
presentation at all. I had a similar client using a newer MAC OS with the same
problem. I have also seen problems with the security and anti-virus programs on
some systems.

My question is: Is there a better way of creating auto-starting presentation CD
that is more cross platformable? If so, how, and which programs do I need to
use? The presentation is a PPT2000 presentation, I am using WIN XP.

Thanks!

 

[Sonia]

The autorun function is normally set on most systems, but it can be turned off
and you cannot control this system level feature.

The recommendation that I make to our customers is to always include small
written instructions with the CD and explain what to do if the CD does not
autorun on their system. For PC users, tell them simply locate PPVIEW32.EXE,
double click it to open the Viewer and then locate the presentation.

Mac's won't play PPVIEW32.EXE and don't recognize the autorun feature. You'll
have to suggest that Mac users locate the presentation on the CD and run it in
PowerPoint or the Mac PowerPoint Viewer.
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials
http://www.soniacoleman.com

 

[Routsnorkgratnimopie]

The autorun function is normally set on most systems, but it can be turned off
and you cannot control this system level feature.

The recommendation that I make to our customers is to always include small
written instructions with the CD and explain what to do if the CD does not
autorun on their system. For PC users, tell them simply locate PPVIEW32.EXE,
double click it to open the Viewer and then locate the presentation.

Mac's won't play PPVIEW32.EXE and don't recognize the autorun feature. You'll
have to suggest that Mac users locate the presentation on the CD and run it in
PowerPoint or the Mac PowerPoint Viewer.

Thanks, Sonia, for the quick reply! I didn't know there was a Mac Powerpoint
Viewer. Any way to set up the CD to autodetect and run the appropriate viewer
automatically for the client? I have room on the CD to do so. Or do I need
always to ask the client which system they are using and keep two separate
stocks of promotional CD's around? Also, is there a publication that will help
me set up the Mac Powerpoint viewer on these CD's to autorun when placed in
their drives (simililar to the Article Q173937)?

As for those systems that have the autorun turned off, I do include
instructions. But those instructions have been very unhelpful for Mac users.

 

[Guest]

Nothing you can do with the Mac problem.
You might even have to redo the whole thing if you want to do the presentation
on Macs.
What Sonia said about writing a little note to avoid the problem of people
turning off the autorun feature. But one additional tidbit:
I've done the autorun not via the 2003 "Save to CD" function, but
by a method shown here (I believe it was from Echo). In that autorun
format there is a "Play.bat" file. It's pretty easy to just tell people to
"click Play."
You could probably do something similar with the "Save to CD" function.

 

[Sonia]

If you have a Mac and know how, I'm sure that you might be able to create an
autorun CD that would work on Mac's. It's a very different OS, so there is no
hope for a dual platform CD. You could download the Mac Viewer and put the
installer on the CD, but the end user would still need to install it.

For questions regarding Mac's, you'll have better luck at
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.mac.office.powerpoint, the Mac
PowerPoint newsgroup.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

First thing to bear in mind is that Windows users (or system administrators)
may have turned off the AutoRun feature deliberately. If so, there's not a
thing you can do to change it, so you live with it as best you can. Include
instructions that tell the user what'll happen when they insert the CD and
explain that if it doesn't start automatically, they should browse to the CD
and [whatever you need them to do].

PC viewers won't work at all on Macs, nor does the usual PC autorun
mechanism. There again, instructions may be your best bet.

If they have PowerPoint on Mac OS X box, doubleclicking the PPT or PPS file
should launch the presentation. If not, they can start PowerPoint, choose
File, Open and open your presentation.

AutoRun CDs aren't part of "Mac culture" the way they are integral to "The
Tao of PC", so you probably don't need to worry that one too much; besides,
it generally takes Mac-based CD burning software and a hybrid disk format to
make the things.

 

[Kathy J]

One other thing to keep in mind for people who will be viewing the
information via a Mac: The current Mac Viewer only runs for pre-OS/X Macs.
It doesn't run on OS/X because that is a BSD based operating system and
Microsoft hasn't created a PPT Viewer that runs under that operating system.

--
Kathryn Jacobs, Microsoft MVP PowerPoint and OneNote
Author of Kathy Jacobs on PowerPoint - Available now from Holy Macro! Books
Get PowerPoint answers at http://www.powerpointanswers.com
I believe life is meant to be lived. But:
if we live without making a difference, it makes no difference that we lived

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Sonia, for the quick reply! I didn't know there was a Mac Powerpoint

Viewer.

I don't believe it runs under the latest versions of Mac OS.
Basically, they'll have to have PowerPoint on the system in order to view your
presentation (or be able to start "Classic" and install the older PowerPoint 98
viewer there).