Nothing happens when I select a pen tool in PowerPoint 2003!

[Guest]

I can see the pen tools (ballpoint, felt tip and highlighter), and they are
coloured (not grey), but nothing happens when I select one - my pointer
stays. I am not on a tablet PC but it's supposed to work anyway...

 

[Sonia]

What pen color do you have set under Slide Show > Set Up Show? Is it the same
color as your background?

Does anything happen when you move the mouse? Or are you using a pen, like a
Wacom?

 

[Guest]

The pen colour is red and my background is white. I am not on a tablet PC so
I do not have a pen, only a mouse. I read that the pen was supposed to work
anyway (in ppt, not in anything else). When I select a pen tool during the
presentation, the menu window closes and I still have my arrow. I think that
if I had a pen function active the arrow would change to look like a pen, no?
I have had our IS team look at this and I have asked every person who uses
ppt, and no one knows about this great capability because it is relatively
new.

 

[Sonia]

The pointer will be an arrow until you move the mouse a bit. Then it should
turn into a small circle. Only when you press the left mouse button, and hold
it down and drag, will it work as a pen. I have not used it with a wireless
remote mouse, but with a regular wireless and corded mouse it works just fine.

 

[Guest]

Hi Sonia,

Thanks for getting back to me. I would really like to get this to work - it
would be a great tool during sales presentations etc. However...

When I am in "Slide Show" view I do not get a circle at any point after I
select "Ballpoint pen", "Feltip pen" or "Highlighter". Next time I open that
menu, the "Arrow" option is highlighted (meaning it's the option currently
active).

Also, I do not know how to get a pen in "Normal View", although it says this
is possible. I have looked on all the toolbars. This would also be useful,
though what I really want is to be able to draw on slides during a
presentation.

Is there something I need to do to make the pen option functional, a
download, a toggle somewhere? I do not think so, and our IS people have gone
through everything...

 

[Sonia]

I should just work when you click on a pen type in Slide Show mode. Have you
tried with a different mouse or mouse driver? It sounds like the pen feature
just isn't available or isn't kicking in. I might even do a Detect and Repair.

In Normal View the annotation pen is not available. You would need to use the
drawing tools unless you are using a Tablet PC.

 

[Guest]

I did the Detect and Repair, no change. I am in a company of 400 or so, and I
have tried it on several presentations from several computers. We are running
Windows XP, all the latest. Any final possible clues?

 

[Sonia]

If all 400 are behaving the same then I would turn it over to the IT people and
ask them to get help from Microsoft if necessary.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Sonia. Have a good day!

If all 400 are behaving the same then I would turn it over to the IT people and
ask them to get help from Microsoft if necessary.

 

[Sonia]

Sorry we couldn't help. Let us know if the IT folks sort it out.

 

[pc macdonald]

Sorry we couldn't help. Let us know if the IT folks sort it out.

<SNIP>>

I'm having _exactly_ the same problems, except that I use a standard
mouse with PPT 2003, WXP PRO SP2. It hasn't worked since I brought up
the PC about 5 or 6 weeks ago.

I've used Power Point for years. Many various versions. I rely
heavily upon the pointer tool.

There are no updates at the Office site other than a spam filter and
French spell checker (nothing readily apparently, at any rate.)

The pen pointer is just plain broken. I miss it. Snif.

 

[Sonia]

Can you tell us more? You said, "It hasn't worked since I brought up > the PC
about 5 or 6 weeks ago." Does this mean that you bought a brand new machine?
Did you install PowerPoint on the machine, or did it come with it installed?
Have you applied Office Service Pack 1?

 

[pc macdonald]

Can you tell us more? You said, "It hasn't worked since I brought up > the PC
about 5 or 6 weeks ago." Does this mean that you bought a brand new machine?
Did you install PowerPoint on the machine, or did it come with it installed?
Have you applied Office Service Pack 1?
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials


<SNIP>
The pen pointer is just plain broken. I miss it. Snif.

New computer. Since our MIS people downgraded it to W2K, I installed
XP Pro with all patches and service packs from scratch, NOT an
upgrade.

I then installed Office 2003 as a new installation with SP1 -- no
previous Office versions installed.

No pen. No highlighter. Nada. Everything else works just fine.

pc

 

[Sonia]

Pardon the silly question. Have you tried pressing the left mouse button and
dragging the
mouse?

 

[pc macdonald]

Pardon the silly question. Have you tried pressing the left mouse button and
dragging the
mouse?

<SNIP>>

Yes, a silly question, but still, a pertinent one! The answer is:
"Of course!"

I've been using PPT for years. It has just not worked in this version
on this PC (I've not tried it on others.)

pc

 

[Sonia]

Can you bring up Windows in Safe Mode and see whether it works there? I'm
grasping at straws, but if there is a driver conflict and it works in Safe Mode
we would have useful troubleshooting information.

 

[pc macdonald]

Can you bring up Windows in Safe Mode and see whether it works there? I'm
grasping at straws, but if there is a driver conflict and it works in Safe Mode

<SNIP>
Thanks for your interest. I haven't had time to check on this, but will soon.

pc

 

[Sonia]

So, I guess it isn't very urgent.

<SNIP>
Thanks for your interest. I haven't had time to check on this, but will soon.

pc