PowerPoint Viewer asks for password

  • Thread starter Thread starter Oz
  • Start date Start date
O

Oz

Hello.

I'm using Windows 98 Second Edition.

I don't have PowerPoint installed, and I'm required to view some
PowerPoint presentations.

So I downloaded "PowerPoint Viewer 2003" and I've installed it
successfully.

However, the presentations I want to view are password-protected
against modification (not against mere viewing), and when I open them
with the viewer I'm required to enter a password. That's ridiculous. I
was told that PowerPoint (the full program, not the viewer) provides an
additional button in this case, "Open Read Only", but that doesn't
happen for me. The viewer provides me with two buttons only: "OK" and
"Cancel".

I've searched Google and I've discovered that someone has complained
about this problem before:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group...t/browse_thread/thread/8f5b38b04b9232ec?tvc=2

But that thread gives no solution (it seems they don't even believe the
poor guy...)

I've also tried to mark my file as "read-only" via the file explorer,
but that didn't help.

What am I to do?



If it helps, you can download one of the password-protected
presentation I'm trying to open here:

http://www.g-math.co.il/kvachim/algebra/peruk lgormim/hiluk polinomim mat1.zip
 
The password was applied by the developer of the presentation. Obviously
someone is concerned with who has access to their information and has used
PPT's security features. You will need the password whether viewing with the
full application or viewer applicaiton. Contact the owner of the
presentation for the password to view.

--
Best Regards,
Troy Chollar
TLC Creative Services, Inc.
troy at tlc creative dot com
www dot tlccreative dot com
==================================
A Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
==================================
 
Hello.

I'm using Windows 98 Second Edition.

I don't have PowerPoint installed, and I'm required to view some
PowerPoint presentations.

So I downloaded "PowerPoint Viewer 2003" and I've installed it
successfully.

However, the presentations I want to view are password-protected
against modification (not against mere viewing), and when I open them
with the viewer I'm required to enter a password. That's ridiculous. I
was told that PowerPoint (the full program, not the viewer) provides an
additional button in this case, "Open Read Only", but that doesn't
happen for me. The viewer provides me with two buttons only: "OK" and
"Cancel".
Click to expand...

This is odd. I downloaded the example file (thanks for posting it, by the way).
When I try to open it in PPT, it gives me the three buttons that you describe and
allows me to open it read-only (it does, by the way, give me an error message
about how it's opened read-only -- again? -- because of an embedded font.)

If I start Viewer 2003 and open the file, it opens immediately; no request for
password, no problems.

So we need to work out what'd different between our systems.

I'm on Windows 2000, you're on Win98 SE.

I have PowerPoint Viewer 2003 and if I locate PPTVIEW.EXE and check its
properties, it's version 11.0.5530.0

What version do you have?

I also have PowerPoint 2003 on this computer so I have to open the viewer first,
then open the PPS file. If you have both PPT and the viewer on your system,
you'll need to do the same, else PowerPoint will probably try to open the PPS,
not the viewer.
 
Steve said:
Oz said:
the presentations I want to view are password-protected
against modification (not against mere viewing), and when I
open them with the viewer I'm required to enter a password.
That's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

If I start Viewer 2003 and open the file, it opens
immediately; no request for password, no problems. [snip]
What version do you have?
Click to expand...

I've located PPTVIEW.EXE and it's version 11.0.5703
(I downloaded it just today, so it's probably the newest version.)
If you have both PPT and the viewer on your system
Click to expand...

I have only the viewer.

BTW, my Windows OS was installed only several days ago, few
applications are installed, so everything is clean, including
the registry.

The download page of the viewer explicitly states that it works
on Win98 SE too, and that it can handle password-protected
presentations.

It looks like a bug in the viewer, doesn't it?
 
It sounds like it must be related to the combination of the Viewer and Win 98
SE. I have tested the presentation in the Viewer on a WIN XP SP2 system that
also has multiple versions of PowerPoint installed, and I've tested it on a bare
bones Win SP SP2 system that has no other software installed and it opens just
fine with no request for password. I have the same version of the Viewer as you
(11.0.5703).
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials
http://www.soniacoleman.com

Oz said:
Steve said:
Oz said:
the presentations I want to view are password-protected
against modification (not against mere viewing), and when I
open them with the viewer I'm required to enter a password.
That's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

If I start Viewer 2003 and open the file, it opens
immediately; no request for password, no problems. [snip]
What version do you have?
Click to expand...

I've located PPTVIEW.EXE and it's version 11.0.5703
(I downloaded it just today, so it's probably the newest version.)
If you have both PPT and the viewer on your system
Click to expand...

I have only the viewer.

BTW, my Windows OS was installed only several days ago, few
applications are installed, so everything is clean, including
the registry.

The download page of the viewer explicitly states that it works
on Win98 SE too, and that it can handle password-protected
presentations.

It looks like a bug in the viewer, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the followup info. Enric, one of the other MVPs, has done some
testing on this; it seems that the viewer under WinSE can't open PPT files
that use certain forms of encryption.

Design flaw, bug .... call it either, but it's not working 100% the way it
should. In any case, the "owner" of the presentation will need to use a
different form of encryption when saving. The default seems to be "RC4,
Microsoft Base Cryptographic Provider v1.0" with a key length of 40. None of
which will make any sense to you since you only have PPT Viewer, but if
possible, ask that the presentation be resaved with that security setting and
see if it then works for you.

Steve said:
Oz said:
the presentations I want to view are password-protected
against modification (not against mere viewing), and when I
open them with the viewer I'm required to enter a password.
That's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

If I start Viewer 2003 and open the file, it opens
immediately; no request for password, no problems. [snip]
What version do you have?
Click to expand...

I've located PPTVIEW.EXE and it's version 11.0.5703
(I downloaded it just today, so it's probably the newest version.)
If you have both PPT and the viewer on your system
Click to expand...

I have only the viewer.

BTW, my Windows OS was installed only several days ago, few
applications are installed, so everything is clean, including
the registry.

The download page of the viewer explicitly states that it works
on Win98 SE too, and that it can handle password-protected
presentations.

It looks like a bug in the viewer, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
 
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