[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the Critical
Update or Service Pack 1 for Office 2003 as soon as possible. From
PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for Updates".]
[TOP ISSUE - Are you having difficulty opening presentations in PowerPoint
that you just created (you can save, but not open)? -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=329820]
Hello,
For many presentations, the answer might be a simple as saving your
presentation as a "PowerPoint show (*.pps)". For the native (full fidelity)
PowerPoint slide show format (*.ppt, *.pps) the recipient will still have
to have some kind of application which knows how to open/view the slide
show file (PowerPoint or the PowerPoint Viewer). If the recipients don't
have PowerPoint or the PowerPoint Viewer the Viewer can be downloaded from
the internet.
However, for some presentations, simply saving the presentations as *.pps
files will not be sufficient because the presentations contain links to
supporting files (movies, some sounds, etc.). So, if you just distribute
the single *.pps file, none of the linked content will display/play when
the presentation is viewed by the recipient.
However, everybody (?) has a web browser on their computer, so a possible
workaround (for the broken links to supporting files scenario) is to
distribute your presentations as single file web pages (MHTML
. This is a
feature of both PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2003. Now you have a single
file that can be sent which, when the recipient opens from e-mail or
Windows, will display an HTML version of the PowerPoint slide show in the
default browser for that system. Of course there are limitations and
differences between PowerPoint HTML presentation slide shows and native
*.ppt/*.pps presentation slide shows viewed using PowerPoint (documented in
the PowerPoint help files). If, however, the recipient opens the MHTML file
using PowerPoint (2002 or 2003), the show will display in full native
fidelity. So, with this workaround you get the benefits of single-file
distribution, but you don't get the "automatically start in slide show
mode" experience and there is loss of fidelity if viewed in a web browser
(only you can decide, for your presentations, whether the benefits offset
the disadvantages).
If you (or anyone else reading this message) think that PowerPoint should
provide a way of distributing a presentation (with all it's supporting
content) as a single file which, can be viewed in it's full fidelity, with
an option to start as slide show, and without permanently
installing/copying any software on the destination computer (whew!!!),
don't forget to send your feedback (in YOUR OWN WORDS, please) to Microsoft
by either:
PREFERRED METHOD:
A) If you are using Microsoft's web-based, online newsreader for Office
communities
(
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?dg=microsoft.p
ublic.powerpoint), check to see whether or not the suggestion has been
submitted before (Show -> Suggestions for Microsoft) and, if so, add your
vote to the suggestion submission. If the suggestion has not been submitted
before, click on the "New" drop-down menu and choose "Suggestion for
Microsoft" from directly within the newsreader web page.
OR, NEXT BEST METHOD:
B) If you are using another newsreader (such as Microsoft Outlook Express),
submit your suggestion using your web browser at the following address:
http://register.microsoft.com/mswish/suggestion.asp
It's VERY important that, for EACH wish, you describe in detail, WHY it is
important TO YOU that your product suggestion be implemented. A good wish
submssion includes WHAT scenario, work-flow, or end-result is blocked by
not having a specific feature, HOW MUCH time and effort ($$$) is spent
working around a specific limitation of the current product, etc. Remember
that Microsoft receives THOUSANDS of product suggestions every day and we
read each one but, in any given product development cycle, there are ONLY
sufficient resources to address the ones that are MOST IMPORTANT to our
customers so take the extra time to state your case as CLEARLY and
COMPLETELY as possible so that we can FEEL YOUR PAIN.
IMPORTANT: Each submission should be a single suggestion (not a list of
suggestions).
John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows
For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
