Powerpoint 2003 runs continuously under certain conditions

[Benn Schreiber]

Here's a weird one!

I have an almost new laptop with a 1400x1050 screen. If PPT 2003 opens a
file and PPT occupies the whole screen (not slide show mode, but editing the
ppt file), ppt runs continuously. If I shrink the PPT window down a bit so
that it's full width, but only about 90-95% height, it stops running
continuously! It seems to be somewhat dependent on the ppt file (I have a
50-slide file that works fine, but a 115-slide file causes it to run
continuously). I know that PPT rummages around for a bit when it starts up,
but I'm talking about minutes of continuous runtime (the slides aren't THAT
complex!).

Any thoughts?

 

[Benn Schreiber]

OK, nobody has any thoughts on it. Can someone with a hi-res screen
(1400x1050) try it and see if they have similar results?

Thanks!

 

[Shyam Pillai]

Benn,
'PowerPoint stops running continuously'? What does that mean? Are you
experiencing errors while in design mode or do you mean that the slide show
terminates after playing for sometime?

Regards
Shyam Pillai

http://www.mvps.org/skp

 

[Benn Schreiber]

Shyam,

What I mean is that if I look at Taskmgr, PowerPoint is constantly consuming
CPU cycles, like 100% of the CPU, more or less evenly divided between user
mode and kernel mode.

I just tried it again. I opened a presentation in design mode (NOT slide
show mode!) with about 105 slides, and Powerpoint occupying about 90% of the
screen. Powerpoint comes up, runs for a bit, then goes quiescent. But, If I
then maximize Powerpoint (still in design mode), it goes completely compute
bound, using 100% of the CPU (and causing the fan on my laptop to run, etc).
As soon as I double click on the title bar to make the PowerPoint window the
90% size again, it stops running continuously.

Again, this is all in design mode, no slide show mode. And I'm not seeing
this behavior on my desktop system which is 1280x1024, as opposed to the
1400x1050 on my laptop. Both systems are running XP SP1 and Office 2003.

Best regards,

Benn

 

[Echo S]

I'd start by changing hardware acceleration and see if that helps.
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00129.htm Maybe also change your screen
refresh rate and see what happens.

Have you tried updating video drivers?

 

[Benn Schreiber]

Blessed with a new monitor, I was able to up the resolution on my desktop
system to 1600x1200, and I'm seeing the same behavior there that I was on my
laptop system.

When I increase the size of the PowerPoint window to bigger than ??, AND
there is a file open, PowerPoint runs continuously. If I close the file, or
shrink the size of the PowerPoint window, it behaves like a model citizen
again.

Nobody else has seen this behavior?

 

[Benn Schreiber]

Just in case you're wondering, the "bigger than ??" is "bigger than
1280x1024".

Thanks