PowerPoint Compatibility

[Brenda Grippi]

I know that is a simple question, but I was just
wondering if there are compatibility issues between the
different PowerPoint versions. My other office has
PowerPoint 2000 and I wanted to buy PowerPoint 2002 for
my new office, will there be problems with creating
documents in one version and opening them in the other
version?

 

[Sonia]

Features that are new in PowerPoint 2002 will not work in PowerPoint 2000.
If you think about this it makes good sense. Software developers create new
versions to do newer and better things. If older versions were then
enhanced to be fully upward compatible, you wouldn't buy the new version.
In PowerPoint 2002 you can disable the new features so that new
presentations will work in both versions, if needed.
--

Sonia, MS PowerPoint MVP Team
http://www.soniacoleman.com
(Tutorials and Autorun CD Project Creator)
PowerPoint Live! - Featured Speaker
Tucson, AZ; October 12-15, 2003

 

[Sonia]

It would depend on what type of objects you lost and what the source of the
sound files was. If you moved the presentation and linked files are no
longer available in the same relative location, that could be one
explanation, but that's a big IF without further information.

 

[don]

I used the title/object slide layout and pasted numerous
screen shots from a locally developed application to use
a training tool. The sound files were wavs. This was
very random with no apparent similiarity between any of
the affected slides. Two presenations, approximately 60
slides in each. First one had five slides that dropped
the object. Second one had about 10 slides that did the
same thing.

In PP2000, I was able to use the wav for the title and it
continued to play until it was done or the next sound was
activated. In PP2002, the sound file ONLY played during
the title bar and then stopped upon either the object or
bullet slides being activated. It appears to me that
PP2002 does not allow the same capability as PP2000 in
this regard.

As for files in same relative location, I saved it as
both ppt and pps. I've always thought that pps format
removes the issue of sound files having to be available
for the presentation to function.

Again, any help will be greatly appreciated.

don

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I used the title/object slide layout and pasted numerous

screen shots from a locally developed application to use
a training tool. The sound files were wavs. This was
very random with no apparent similiarity between any of
the affected slides. Two presenations, approximately 60
slides in each. First one had five slides that dropped
the object. Second one had about 10 slides that did the
same thing.

Look at the sizes of the original WAV files then look at Tools, Options, the
general tab I think it is ... see if the missing files are larger than the
"Embed sounds smaller than" setting.

As for files in same relative location, I saved it as
both ppt and pps. I've always thought that pps format
removes the issue of sound files having to be available
for the presentation to function.

No, PPT and PPS are exactly the same, just different extensions; because of
that, PPT treats them differently on opening. Content's identical, so the
sound and other linking issues are identical as well.

 

[Sonia]

Were the WAV files embedded? WAVs are normally embedded as long as they are
not larger than the size limit that you set in Tools > Options > General.
If they were not embedded and were not moved with the presentation, that
would explain why they no longer play. The .PPS file format is identical to
..PPT. The .PPS file extension simply tells PowerPoint to open the file in
"Show" mode.

I don't know why the images don't show up, but I think I would make sure
that the video driver has been updated to the latest version available on
the manufacturer's website.

An interesting test would be to download and install the PowerPoint Viewer
on the system that has PowerPoint 2002 and see how it plays the
presentation. You can find the Viewer at
http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/Ppview97.aspx If you do that,
please let us know the results. It could help to pin down where the problem
is.