wav not working; mp3 does work

[Judi Tousley]

WinXP, PowerPoint 2002

I have created many PP shows using WAV files. When installing WinXP & PP'02
this summer, I started having difficulty with a few things...mainly getting
the presentation to work on other computers. I downloaded the new viewer for
PP'02 & PP'03 and also made a few tweaks to PP itself per the pptfaq.com
recommendations. For the most part, things are now working.

One problem that cropped up, however, is that WAV files will not work in the
presentations. MP3 files will work. So........when I open any presentation
already created with WAV files, the sound will not work. I've opened the
original presentation and double clicked on the WAV sound icon...it is dead.
When I replace it with a MP3 file and double click its icon, it works just
fine. It also works fine in presentation mode.

I edit many WAV files in Roxio Sound Editor (this program will not edit
MP3s) so I'd like to have the ability to again play WAVs within the
presentation.

Does anyone know how I can get WAVs to work again?

Judi

 

[Echo S]

Judi, if you go to Start/Run and type in mplay32.exe, do the WAVs play
in that player? That's the MCI media player, and PPT uses this to play
multimedia files. If the WAVs don't play there, they won't play in PPT.
If they do, they *should* play in PPT.

If the WAVs don't play in that MCI player, try updating your registry
settings to those listed in section 3 of Austin's multimedia tutorial.
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm (You
want to compare to the screen shots there.)

 

[Judi Tousley]

Thanks for your reply, Echo.

WAVs *do* play in the Media Player. I then opened a new PP slide and
inserted the same WAV...no sound. I checked the registry and the only two
keys missing were "ivf" and "wmp"...WAV was correct.

I could get software that would edit MP3s...but will MP3s play in all
computers when I package the presentation? Seems like somewhere it said that
it was best to do WAVs but I don't remember why.

I also installed the add-in Microsoft Producer and wonder if that might be
messing up the WAV files?

Judi

Judi, if you go to Start/Run and type in mplay32.exe, do the WAVs play
in that player? That's the MCI media player, and PPT uses this to play
multimedia files. If the WAVs don't play there, they won't play in PPT.
If they do, they *should* play in PPT.

If the WAVs don't play in that MCI player, try updating your registry
settings to those listed in section 3 of Austin's multimedia tutorial.
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm (You
want to compare to the screen shots there.)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

WinXP, PowerPoint 2002

I have created many PP shows using WAV files. When installing WinXP & PP'02
this summer, I started having difficulty with a few things...mainly getting
the presentation to work on other computers. I downloaded the new viewer for
PP'02 & PP'03 and also made a few tweaks to PP itself per the pptfaq.com
recommendations. For the most part, things are now working.

One problem that cropped up, however, is that WAV files will not work in the
presentations. MP3 files will work. So........when I open any presentation
already created with WAV files, the sound will not work. I've opened the
original presentation and double clicked on the WAV sound icon...it is dead.
When I replace it with a MP3 file and double click its icon, it works just
fine. It also works fine in presentation mode.

I edit many WAV files in Roxio Sound Editor (this program will not edit
MP3s) so I'd like to have the ability to again play WAVs within the
presentation.

Does anyone know how I can get WAVs to work again?

Judi

 

[Austin Myers]

Judi,

"Judi, if you go to Start/Run and type in mplay32.exe, do the WAVs play
in that player?"

Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

WAVs *do* play in the Media Player. I then opened a new PP slide and
inserted the same WAV...no sound. I checked the registry and the only two
keys missing were "ivf" and "wmp"...WAV was correct.

I could get software that would edit MP3s...but will MP3s play in all
computers when I package the presentation? Seems like somewhere it said that
it was best to do WAVs but I don't remember why.

I also installed the add-in Microsoft Producer and wonder if that might be
messing up the WAV files?

Judi

Judi, if you go to Start/Run and type in mplay32.exe, do the WAVs play
in that player? That's the MCI media player, and PPT uses this to play
multimedia files. If the WAVs don't play there, they won't play in PPT.
If they do, they *should* play in PPT.

If the WAVs don't play in that MCI player, try updating your registry
settings to those listed in section 3 of Austin's multimedia tutorial.
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm (You
want to compare to the screen shots there.)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

WinXP, PowerPoint 2002

I have created many PP shows using WAV files. When installing WinXP & PP'02
this summer, I started having difficulty with a few things...mainly getting
the presentation to work on other computers. I downloaded the new

viewer

for

in

the

 

[Echo S]

Hm. If the sounds play in the MCI media player (mplay32.exe), they
*should* play in PPT. I'm afraid I'm at a loss as to why they don't.
WAVs are pretty much lowest-common-denominator, and they usually play
almost everywhere!

You might try changing the IVF and WMP registry keys anyway. You never
know...

As for MP3s playing on all computers, yeah, they'll play on most. The
reason you're using WAV when you distribute a presentation is because
WAV files can be embedded into PPT. How much WAV can be embedded is
determined by your settings in Tools/Options/"link sound files greater
than XXX kb." Put 50000 (50MB) in there *before* you insert the WAV into
your presentation, and it will thereafter be embedded.

MP3 files can't be embedded, so you run the risk of the links to those
sound files breaking when you move your files to CD.

If you use some due diligence as you create the presentation, it
shouldn't be a problem, though. Just be sure to put the MP3 files in the
folder with your PPT presentation *before* you insert them into the
presentation. Then move the PPT file and the MP3s to the CD.

If you use PPT 2003's Package for CD option, it should resolve those MP3
links for you, though, so you wouldn't have to worry so much about
moving the MP3s to the same folder with your presentation.

Likewise, Pack and Go in earlier versions of PPT is supposed to resolve
these kinds of links. Pack and Go to a folder on your harddrive, then
unpack the presentation. Then copy all those resulting files to the CD.
(FWIW, I find Pack and Go a little more unreliable in this respect than
Package to CD.)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

Thanks for your reply, Echo.

WAVs *do* play in the Media Player. I then opened a new PP slide and
inserted the same WAV...no sound. I checked the registry and the only two
keys missing were "ivf" and "wmp"...WAV was correct.

I could get software that would edit MP3s...but will MP3s play in all
computers when I package the presentation? Seems like somewhere it said that
it was best to do WAVs but I don't remember why.

I also installed the add-in Microsoft Producer and wonder if that might be
messing up the WAV files?

Judi

Judi, if you go to Start/Run and type in mplay32.exe, do the WAVs play
in that player? That's the MCI media player, and PPT uses this to play
multimedia files. If the WAVs don't play there, they won't play in PPT.
If they do, they *should* play in PPT.

If the WAVs don't play in that MCI player, try updating your registry
settings to those listed in section 3 of Austin's multimedia tutorial.
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm (You
want to compare to the screen shots there.)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

WinXP, PowerPoint 2002

I have created many PP shows using WAV files. When installing WinXP & PP'02
this summer, I started having difficulty with a few things...mainly getting
the presentation to work on other computers. I downloaded the new viewer for
PP'02 & PP'03 and also made a few tweaks to PP itself per the pptfaq.com
recommendations. For the most part, things are now working.

One problem that cropped up, however, is that WAV files will not work in the
presentations. MP3 files will work. So........when I open any presentation
already created with WAV files, the sound will not work. I've opened the
original presentation and double clicked on the WAV sound icon...it is dead.
When I replace it with a MP3 file and double click its icon, it works just
fine. It also works fine in presentation mode.

I edit many WAV files in Roxio Sound Editor (this program will not edit
MP3s) so I'd like to have the ability to again play WAVs within the
presentation.

Does anyone know how I can get WAVs to work again?

Judi