How to answer the following issue about corrupted files.

[travdaddy]

When fixing a corrupted ppt file with a third party tool, and giving the user
the tool to use, I got the question:
How come some colleagues can open those files without a problem, but other
can't?

So I responded with: Many things can come into account when a file becomes
corrupt. The user could be on different service pack level when the project
was created. Different security patches can affect how a system behaves. How
the user made the project could affect who can open it. Did he make the
project through a VPN or on the network? What pictures has he added to the
project, or they foreign or are the PowerPoint pictures. For what it’s worth
we used three different systems here, and the one same file was corrupt on
all three machines.

After sending this to them through an email and thinking I was done they
came back with another question that I struggling to find an answer for and
any help on this would be fantastic.

Here is the question: Wouldn’t those factors determine how the file gets
corrupted in the first place and not how some people are able to view a file
that is already corrupt (which is the case now)? Please explain further.

Once again any help would be terrific. Thanks in advanced.

 

[Bill Dilworth]

Your answer was very good and more detail than they should have expected,
but ... well some people are like that.

PowerPoint uses many system-based features including DirectX, printer
drivers and a host of dll's. These are also used to open the presentations
and may also differ between devices (even seemingly identical devices).
Many of these system based tools are changed according to updates, SPs, and
3rd party software additions to the system. These changes may make the
system less tolerant of minor PPT file corruption.

So the answer is, "What, fixing the presentation file wasn't good enough?"


--
Bill Dilworth
A proud member of the Microsoft PPT MVP Team
Users helping fellow users.
http://billdilworth.mvps.org
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vestprog2@ Please read the PowerPoint FAQ pages.
yahoo. They answer most of our questions.
com www.pptfaq.com
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