http://www.pptfaq.com/ What's new at PPT FAQ? Copyright 2005, Stephen Rindsberg Friday, The automatic FAQ-Maker; http://www.rdpslides.com/friday http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en-us Microsoft PowerPoint/presentation http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00819.htm Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:06:38 EST Virtual Computers can be a huge help when you want to test beta software or engage in other such "risky business" on your PC. Using a virtual computer pretty much isolates things into a safe sandbox where it can play but not hurt anything on your real computer. Now that Microsoft has released Virtual PC for FREE, you owe it to yourself to give virtual computing a try. Our tutorial walks you through the basics of setting up and running a virtual computer. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00723.htm Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:14:45 EST We've added a tutorial on running software in virtual PCs to the FAQ. This is a great way to test beta software like Office 2007, so we've added a pointer to the tutorial. Highly recommended! http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00820.htm Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:07:29 EST Sometimes it's convenient to have a list of the designs (slide masters) used by a presentation and which slides use them. This little VBA macro will give you that list. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00821.htm Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:02:24 EST If you accidentally click the X (close) button on the macro recording toolbar while recording a macro in PowerPoint, you won't be able to stop the macro recorder and won't be able to see the macro recorder toolbar again. This explains how to get the toolbar back. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00822.htm Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:03:14 EST Austin Myers has discovered a clever way of putting text over video in PowerPoint, something everybody has always thought impossible. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00823.htm Wed, 11 Oct 2006 10:31:06 EST PowerPoint's ink annotation feature may not work on all computers. This describes how to correct the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00824.htm Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:45:38 EST If you get an "invalid producty key" error message when starting PowerPoint, or activation hangs when you activate over the internet, read this. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00825.htm Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:15:02 EST If you accidentally delete a file, you can often recover it from the Windows Recycle Bin. This explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00829.htm Wed, 01 Nov 2006 21:47:43 EST Normally you can't get hyperlinks to other files to open in a new browser window once the PowerPoint has been converted to HTML. This neat trick from WebTech411 lets you work around that limitation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00723.htm Mon, 13 Nov 2006 14:26:52 EST Microsoft Office 2007 will ship soon. Here's updated information in case you're having trouble installing the "RTM" version. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00830.htm Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:18:47 EST No first version of any software is without its problems; before Office 2007 is even out the door, there are Microsoft Knowledgebase articles detailing some fairly unpleasant ones. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00015.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:06:16 EST How to get rid of arrowheads when they appear in your PowerPoint tables. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00831.htm Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:21:21 EST We've begun a PowerPoint Glossary, which will list terms that PowerPoint and PowerPoint users ... um ... use. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00534.htm Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:12:54 EST We've added a new macro that may help cure the "QuickTime compressor" problem when opening Mac PPT files on the PC. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00566.htm Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:46:21 EST This explains how to format your PowerPoint presentation so that it fills a wide-screen display. We've recently added a macro that lets you import slide images from a "normal" presentation into a wide-screen one. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00832.htm Wed, 06 Dec 2006 13:56:55 EST Equations in Powerpoint 2007 are now less useful than they once were. You can no longer change the color of the equation's text, so what you get is black text. Period. We've worked out a few ways around this problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00833.htm Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:31:37 EST PowerPoint 2007 is very different from earlier versions. This new PowerPoint FAQ entry will offer quick tips on how to get used to the new version and use it more effectively. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00033.htm Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:01:34 EST We've updated "How do I use VBA code in PowerPoint" to include the new steps needed to run code in PowerPoint 2007 http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00831.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00831.htm Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:20:02 EST Formatting updates to our PowerPoint Glossary http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00843.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00843.htm Sat, 20 Jan 2007 17:32:39 EST This page gives a brief description of how Microsoft Office licensees may use the clip art supplied with Office and includes links to the official MS page that gives the details. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00844.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00844.htm Sat, 20 Jan 2007 17:42:37 EST Microsoft publishes special Academic editions of Microsoft Office at attractive prices. This page tells you where to learn more. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00378.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00378.htm Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:21:11 EST How to locate the EULA, or End User License Agreement, for your Microsoft Office product. The EULA explains the rights you have to use the product and other terms of usage (updated to include "EULA, EULA, who's got the EULA" how to find it info for Office 2007) http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00845.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00845.htm Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:36:16 EST Before Microsoft released Office 2007, they moved all the furniture. When you upgrade from an earlier version, it's a bit disorienting until you learn where everything is. First off, remember that most of the keyboard commands you know from earlier versions will work in Office 2007. Next, visit this page on the PowerPoint FAQ where you'll find a handy table listing PowerPoint 2003 options settings and commands and their (sometimes hard-to-find) PowerPoint 2007 equivalents. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00830.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00830.htm Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:38:18 EST Update to this PowerPoint 2007 bugs/problems page includes information about VBA programming and charts. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00846.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00846.htm Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:49:28 EST When you click More AutoShapes, PowerPoint may go non-responsive. It probaly hasn't crashed, and if you wait long enough (90 seconds or so) it'll probably come back to life. This page explains why this happens and what you can do about it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00668.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00668.htm Sat, 27 Jan 2007 11:51:37 EST If you're having problems with links or action settings in your PowerPoint presentations, this is the place to start diagnosing and solving them. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00847.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00847.htm Wed, 31 Jan 2007 20:50:29 EST VBA macro code that demonstrates how to list the transistion settings for each slide in a presentation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00848.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00848.htm Fri, 02 Feb 2007 14:13:49 EST SwiffPoint player can cause some core functions of PowerPoint to misbehave, such as double-clicking. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:54:41 EST Alternatives to the Equation Editor supplied with Microsoft Ofifice products http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:55:06 EST Alternatives to the Equation Editor supplied with Microsoft Ofifice products http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:50:43 EST PowerPoint depends on the Windows printer driver for several functions that you might not expect. A corrupt or incompatible printer driver can cause PowerPoint to crash, to display corrupted text or any of several other problems. This page describes the problem in more detail. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:03:41 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:49:21 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00852.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00852.htm Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:49:24 EST Having problems with unreadable CDs? This PowerPoint FAQ page may help. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00829.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00829.htm Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:20:22 EST Normally you can't get hyperlinks to other files to open in a new browser window once the PowerPoint has been converted to HTML. This neat trick from WebTech411 lets you work around that limitation. We've also added a way to edit the HTML files that PowerPoint creates. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00856.htm Sat, 10 Mar 2007 21:22:32 EST Here's a bit of code to interleave the slides from several presentations into one. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00857.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00857.htm Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:58:30 EST How to install Office 2007 alongside an earlier version of Office. Is it possible? MS Speaks. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00859.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00859.htm Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:49:48 EST You may experience flashes or blue screen on exernal monitors when viewing slides that include videos. This PowerPoint FAQ entry explains one possible solution. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00860.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00860.htm Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:45:38 EST A set of macros that effectively lets you "LOCK" all of the shapes in a PowerPoint presentation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00481.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00481.htm Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:06:51 EST This describes how to extract the notes text from a PowerPoint presentation into a plain text file. From there you can copy/paste into Word or any other program or print directly. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00594.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00594.htm Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:32:05 EST Several "skeleton" macros you can adapt to batch process files, shapes, etc. in your PowerPoint presentations. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00594.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00594.htm Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:32:35 EST Several "skeleton" macros you can adapt to batch process files, shapes, etc. in your PowerPoint presentations. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:17:33 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:36:45 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:40:04 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:49:53 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:51:49 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:54:37 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00708.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00708.htm Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:56:05 EST We've added some information on how you can prevent others from editing your PowerPoint presentations after they've been published to the web as HTML. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00241.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00241.htm Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:59:37 EST If you publish your presentation to a web page and upload it to your site as HTML, visitors to your site can open a copy of your ORIGINAL PPT file on their own computer if they know one simple trick. We describe a way of preventing this. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:11:22 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:13:04 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:18:15 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:19:38 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:20:25 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:22:47 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00245.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00245.htm Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:59:18 EST We've added some PowerPoint 2007 how-to info to this page about creating your own default presentations in PowerPoint. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00864.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00864.htm Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:09:07 EST This explains why you may see a "Set profiles first" message when you start PowerPoint. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:13:05 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00863.htm Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:17:36 EST In PowerPoint 2007 you can have up to 50 items on the MRU (Most Recently Used) File List, compared to the 9 that previous versions allowed. What do you do if you need to clear all those previously used files from the list? This FAQ entry by MVP Michael Koerner explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00865.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00865.htm Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:32:45 EST Virus scanning software can cause almost as many problems as it solves sometimes. Another instance: some antivirus programs interfere with the PowerPoint Package for CD feature. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm Thu, 03 May 2007 11:03:51 EST PowerPoint's easy to use, but before you use it, here are a few simple setup steps that will save you time and trouble later. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm Thu, 10 May 2007 14:48:37 EST PowerPoint suddenly drops out of slideshow mode and leaves you back at the editing screen for no apparent reason. This article explains several possible reasons. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm Thu, 10 May 2007 14:51:43 EST PowerPoint suddenly drops out of slideshow mode and leaves you back at the editing screen for no apparent reason. This article explains several possible reasons. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00867.htm Thu, 10 May 2007 14:52:09 EST PowerPoint suddenly drops out of slideshow mode and leaves you back at the editing screen for no apparent reason. This article explains several possible reasons. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm Fri, 11 May 2007 11:55:54 EST If you receive a message in PowerPoint abut "attempting to open or save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting" when trying to open or save a file, this article explains why. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm Fri, 11 May 2007 11:57:12 EST If you receive a message in PowerPoint abut "attempting to open or save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting" when trying to open or save a file, this article explains why. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00870.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00870.htm Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:38:49 EST A presentation's slides appear right-to-left in Slide Sorter and on Handout printouts, instead of the expected Left-to-Right direction. This page explains why and supplies a macro to fix the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00870.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00870.htm Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:40:08 EST A presentation's slides appear right-to-left in Slide Sorter and on Handout printouts, instead of the expected Left-to-Right direction. This page explains why and supplies a macro to fix the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00871.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00871.htm Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:36:17 EST You have a presentation to fix up and find that it's been heavily formatted on individual slides, overriding the master formatting. Since "local" (per slide/per text box) formatting always overrides the master, your changes to the master slides don't have any effect on individual slides. The macro on this page will automatically re-apply the slide layout to each slide to override any local formatting. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00873.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00873.htm Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:32:02 EST Need to get at database data from within your Mac Office Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and applications? Now you can. This page has a link to Mac Office MVP Jim Gordon's detailed tutorial. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00637.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00637.htm Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:20:16 EST There are many reasons why a PowerPoint file may open in read-only mode, or otherwise prevent you from making any changes to the file. This page explains why this might happen and what you can do about it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00885.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00885.htm Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:57:08 EST This new page on the PPT FAQ describes how to use a macro to automatically reformat every occurrence of a phrase throughout an entire presentations. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00605.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00605.htm Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:09:11 EST We've updated some of our printer driver instructions to explain better how to tell the difference between a network-installed driver and a locally-installed one. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:28:02 EST Windows maintains a database that tells it what programs should handle each file type (as determined by the file's extension). If the database is damaged or contains incorrect information, the wrong file may open when you doubleclick a file. This explains how to fix such problems. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00897.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00897.htm Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:02:05 EST 20 September 2007, Microsoft has released Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Microsoft Office 2003. SP3 includes all of the fixes from previous Office 2003 service packs and all hotfixes for Office and its component applications released since Service Pack (SP2). This PowerPoint FAQ page consists mostly of links to Microsoft pages where you can download SP3 or learn more about it. As we learn more about SP3, we'll add more information about possible side-effects of applying the service pack. Stay tuned ... http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00898.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00898.htm Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:37:33 EST Frustration? How about when your presentation or some other vital file is safe and sound on a USB thumb/flash/pen/whatever-you-call-it drive ... but Windows refuses to recognize the drive. Frustration? Yeah. Thatt'll do quite nicely, thanks. This PowerPoint FAQ page shows you just where to whack Windows upside the head to get it to wake up. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00404.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00404.htm Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:19:59 EST PowerPoint maintains user interface (toolbar, button, menu) customizations in a special PCB file. When this becomes corrupt, it can cause problems. This explains how to track it down and delete it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00899.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00899.htm Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:59:06 EST You'd like to alternately print one slide then its notes page, followed by the next slide and then it's notes page and so on, for the entire presentation. PowerPoint doesn't allow for this. One option is manual collation, of course. But the simple macro on this page lets PowerPoint and your printer do the work for you: http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00900.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00900.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:20:53 EST This explains how to export just the comments from your PPT file (PPT 2002 and later) http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:17:59 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:18:48 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:20:19 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:22:09 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:22:55 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:23:55 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:25:11 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:26:27 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:20:52 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00593.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00593.htm Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:32:59 EST How to link content from Excel into your PowerPoint presentations. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:41:29 EST Alternatives to the Equation Editor supplied with Microsoft Ofifice products http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00506.htm Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:42:05 EST Alternatives to the Equation Editor supplied with Microsoft Ofifice products http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:51:35 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:54:32 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:57:05 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:57:29 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:00:00 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:06:47 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00522.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00522.htm Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:02:00 EST Learn how to control how your presentation prints in black and white (updated for PowerPoint 2007) http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00481.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00481.htm Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:07:07 EST This describes how to extract the notes text from a PowerPoint presentation into a plain text file. From there you can copy/paste into Word or any other program or print directly. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00153.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00153.htm Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:42:39 EST The PPT FAQ's PowerPoint Viewer page has been updated to include details and a link to the new PowerPoint 207 viewer. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00448.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00448.htm Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:30:05 EST Color calibration on the cheap ... this article used to be intended for making 35mm slides. We've dragged it kicking and clawing from the Pleistocene into the modern era and updated it for use with data projectors. Enjoy. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00448.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00448.htm Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:34:48 EST We've updated this article on color calibration. It used to apply to 35mm slides, but we've changed the focus to video data projectors (beamers) http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00862.htm Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:02:24 EST PowerPoint 2007 automatically compresses images when you save a presentation (using a compression method that throws away data and can blur your pictures). It's very difficult to find the dialog box where you disable this nasty little trick. This PPT FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00047.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00047.htm Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:18 EST We've added links to several of Kathy Jacobs' instructional videos to explain how to insert sounds that run throughout a presentation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00156.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00156.htm Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:18:22 EST We updated this page to include more Mac to DVD information from Mac Office MVP Jim Gordon. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:36:14 EST PowerPoint's easy to use, but before you use it, here are a few simple setup steps that will save you time and trouble later. We've added a link to Microsoft's instructions for using Office programs with Norton Antivirus Office plug-in. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00910.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00910.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:36:50 EST Need to use PowerPoint in Japanese or Chinese? We offer a short tutorial with a link to a more complete one. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00911.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00911.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:42:27 EST The new file extensions used by Office 2007 can cause problems when you upload these files to a web server. Users may see 404 File Not Found errors or experience other problems when clicking on links to these new file types. We offer a solution and a workaround on this page. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00912.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00912.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:04:55 EST description http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00909.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00909.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:07:11 EST Test http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:31:43 EST PowerPoint's easy to use, but before you use it, here are a few simple setup steps that will save you time and trouble later. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:52:30 EST PowerPoint's easy to use, but before you use it, here are a few simple setup steps that will save you time and trouble later. We've updated this page for PowerPoint 2007. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00511.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00511.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:55:47 EST There are things that PowerPoint lets you do ... but that you shouldn't do. This isn't about esthetics or presentation style, it's about PowerPoint features you shouldn't generally use. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00530.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00530.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:59:23 EST If you got what looks like a Microsoft patch or other software update file in your email, don't open it. It's probably a virus. Learn more here. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00704.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00704.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:02:46 EST If the new computer you're thinking of buying comes with a free or low-cost copy of Office, it may not be the bargain it seems. Read this to learn why. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00831.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00831.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:07:34 EST We've added a few terms to our PowerPoint Glossary. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:10:48 EST PowerPoint's easy to use, but before you use it, here are a few simple setup steps that will save you time and trouble later. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00913.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00913.htm Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:10:00 EST Here's a simple VB/VBA routine you can use to read text line by line from a file. It doesn't require any external references, just the stuff built into every copy of VB/VBA. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:04:55 EST 11 December, 2007: MS has released Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Office 2007 http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:12:09 EST On 11December 2007, Microsoft released Office 2007 SP1. The service pack fixes many problems with PowerPoint in the original release of Office 2007 (but unfortunately leaves other serious problems unfixed). This PPT FAQ page has links to the Office 2007 SP1 download page and more information. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:10:20 EST In some circumstances, PowerPoint and other Office 2007 programs will appear as though Windows is set to a high contrast, black and white screen setting, but this affects only the Office programs, not Windows as a whole. Almost everything in the Office programs is in black and white or gray with just traces of color here and there. This page explains the likely cause and a simple solution. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:35:50 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:36:26 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00889.htm Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:39:29 EST This page lists problems we've encountered in working with PowerPoint 2007 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00917.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00917.htm Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:38:42 EST This clever trick, along with a nice little utility called Flip4Mac, allows you to use Windows WMV movie files in your Mac PowerPoint presentations. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00918.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00918.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:14:16 EST Microsoft's Ric Bretschneider now has a blog and podcasts on PowerPoint and more generally, presentation related subjects. Good stuff! http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:16:35 EST PowerPoint-related blogs of interest http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:17:56 EST PowerPoint-related blogs of interest http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00713.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00713.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:53:45 EST Most PowerPoint user have been bitten by media that either can't be inserted in my presentation or doesn't work when the presentation is sent to others. This new add in, PFCMedia solves those problems and adds additional functionality never used before in PowerPoint. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00822.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00822.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:54:24 EST Austin Myers has discovered a clever way of putting text over video in PowerPoint, something everybody has always thought impossible. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00919.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00919.htm Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:36:49 EST A new tool (and a free one) for building your own Office 2007 Themes is now available. See this PPTFAQ article to learn more. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00616.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00616.htm Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:11:46 EST Create your own games in PowerPoint. The links here show you how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00920.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00920.htm Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:39:08 EST You can update a running MS-PowerPoint presentation with data from an MS-Access database using some simple VBA code. This article has a presentation "Sales PPT.ppt" and a MS-Access database "Demo.mdb". This demo will update the presentation with data from the Access database. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00649.htm Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:31:28 EST PowerPoint-related blogs of interest http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00153.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00153.htm Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:19:37 EST PowerPoint Viewer update ... you can now view attached PowerPoint presentations in Gmail. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00921.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00921.htm Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:50:47 EST Microsoft can be inredibly efficient at removing information about old versions of Office/PowerPoint from their web site the moment a new version is released. So what are you supposed to do if you still need to know about the older versions? Start here ... http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00821.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00821.htm Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:47:17 EST If you accidentally click the X (close) button on the macro recording toolbar while recording a macro in PowerPoint, you won't be able to stop the macro recorder and won't be able to see the macro recorder toolbar again. This explains how to get the toolbar back. If you can't figure out how to record macros in Office 2007, it's because that feature is gone. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00922.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00922.htm Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:10:21 EST This solution from Access MVP Naresh Nichani and PowerPoint MVP Brian Reilly demonstrates how you can update embeded Excel worksheets, Excel charts and MSGraph charts on a slide from external data almost instantly. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:52:16 EST If you receive a message in PowerPoint abut "attempting to open or save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting" when trying to open or save a file, this article explains why. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00868.htm Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:43:53 EST If you receive a message in PowerPoint abut "attempting to open or save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting" when trying to open or save a file, this article explains why. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00146.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00146.htm Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:33:08 EST We've added PFC Pro from www.playsforcertain.com to our listing of software that enables you to play DVD content in a presentation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00924.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00924.htm Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:16:05 EST This PowerPoint FAQ page explains how to use VBA to sort a presentation based on its slide titles. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:56:12 EST On 11December 2007, Microsoft released Office 2007 SP1. The service pack fixes many problems with PowerPoint in the original release of Office 2007 (but unfortunately leaves other serious problems unfixed). This PPT FAQ page has links to the Office 2007 SP1 download page and more information. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00693.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00693.htm Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:13:03 EST Transparent gradient (shaded) fills don't print properly; here are some possible fixes and an update for PowerPoint 2007, where gradient printing works well. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00693.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00693.htm Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:16:06 EST Transparent gradient (shaded) fills don't print properly; here are some possible fixes http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00925.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00925.htm Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:07:44 EST PowerPoint 2007 no longer has pattern fills. If you NEED pattern fills, this PowerPoint FAQ page has a workaround for you. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:40:27 EST Print large size slides to letter size paper so you can tape them together into posters? PowerPoint can't do it but this describes several ways you CAN get tiled printouts from your PowerPoint slides. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:45:22 EST Print large size slides to letter size paper so you can tape them together into posters? PowerPoint can't do it but this describes several ways you CAN get tiled printouts from your PowerPoint slides. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00537.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00537.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:47:18 EST Need to print posters or other large format or plotter output from PowerPoint? Here are some useful suggestions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:11:19 EST Print large size slides to letter size paper so you can tape them together into posters? PowerPoint can't do it but this describes several ways you CAN get tiled printouts from your PowerPoint slides. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00538.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:12:30 EST Print large size slides to letter size paper so you can tape them together into posters? PowerPoint can't do it but this describes several ways you CAN get tiled printouts from your PowerPoint slides. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00926.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00926.htm Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:47:13 EST You create a presentation on a Mac and include moviews. When you play it back on the PC, you get an error message about "NTSC decompressor needed to see this picture". This page on the PowerPoint FAQ explains the solution. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00914.htm Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:29:52 EST On 11December 2007, Microsoft released Office 2007 SP1. The service pack fixes many problems with PowerPoint in the original release of Office 2007 (but unfortunately leaves other serious problems unfixed). This PPT FAQ page has links to the Office 2007 SP1 download page and more information. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:18:24 EST Windows maintains a database that tells it what programs should handle each file type (as determined by the file's extension). If the database is damaged or contains incorrect information, the wrong file may open when you doubleclick a file. This explains how to fix such problems. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00926.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00926.htm Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:50:24 EST You create a presentation on a Mac and include moviews. When you play it back on the PC, you get an error message about "NTSC decompressor needed to see this picture". This page on the PowerPoint FAQ explains the solution. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00850.htm Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:25:51 EST Misaligned/cut-off text, blinking text, misplaced text cursor, "printer cannot be found" messages, slow selection and editing, crashing when launching PowerPoint or opening older presentations. These are all symptoms of a corrupt or incompatible printer driver. This page has more detailed information and links to solutions. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00930.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00930.htm Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:18:26 EST You link data from Excel or other files on a network drive to your PowerPoint 2007 presentation. The links work as expected but when you save the presentation and reopen it the links stop working. When you try to update the link, you see this error message: The linked file was unavailable and can’t be updated http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00931.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00931.htm Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:22:11 EST When you insert slides from another presentation into a PowerPoint 2007 presentation using automation (ie, VBA, macros, etc) the text from the inserted slide appears correctly but images are displayed as red Xs. You may also see the following error message: The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00931.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00931.htm Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:22:43 EST When you insert slides from another presentation into a PowerPoint 2007 presentation using automation (ie, VBA, macros, etc) the text from the inserted slide appears correctly but images are displayed as red Xs. You may also see the following error message: The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00930.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00930.htm Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:23:21 EST You link data from Excel or other files on a network drive to your PowerPoint 2007 presentation. The links work as expected but when you save the presentation and reopen it the links stop working. When you try to update the link, you see this error message: The linked file was unavailable and can’t be updated http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00936.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00936.htm Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:03:06 EST Hyperlinks applied to SmartArt shapes in PowerPoint 2007 don't work in the free PowerPoint Viewer. You'll find a workaround to the problem here. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00937.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00937.htm Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:14:41 EST You have your notes text in an external text file and want to import it into the notes pages of your presentation, but don't want to spend the day copying from here, pasting there. The VBA macro presented here will automate the job for you. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm Thu, 01 May 2008 10:48:20 EST Windows defaults aren't always the best. This explains how to overcome one of the worst ones and make it STOP HIDING STUFF from you. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00938.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00938.htm Sat, 03 May 2008 15:54:42 EST You have a list of slide numbers; you want to create a new presentation that includes JUST these slides, not any of the others. This VBA subroutine handles it for you. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00406.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00406.htm Tue, 06 May 2008 10:07:59 EST When clicking a hyperlink to a file, PowerPoint displays a message: "Some files can contain viruses ..." Here are some things you can do to make it stop. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00939.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00939.htm Fri, 09 May 2008 11:18:05 EST PowerPoint MVP Echo Swinford has complied a great list of the new features in PowerPoint 2007. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00872.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00872.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:45:25 EST PowerPoint 2007 uses a different method of creating and editing charts that's not compatible with previous versions. If you need to exchange presentations with PowerPoint 2003 and earlier users, consider making the change suggested in this PPT FAQ page. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:12:47 EST PowerPoint (and Windows in general) may sometimes show everything in grayscale or even pur black and white, High Contrast mode. If this has suddenly happened to you, visit this PowerPoint FAQ page to learn how to correct the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00915.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:39:33 EST PowerPoint (and Windows in general) may sometimes show everything in grayscale or even pur black and white, High Contrast mode. If this has suddenly happened to you, visit this PowerPoint FAQ page to learn how to correct the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00607.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00607.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:42:55 EST If PowerPoint (or Windows itself) displays everything in grayscale or pure black and white, this PowerPoint FAQ entry will help you solve the problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:18:50 EST Windows defaults aren't always the best. This explains how to overcome one of the worst ones. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00781.htm Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:03:07 EST Windows defaults aren't always the best. This explains how to overcome one of the worst ones. Updated for Vista. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00413.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00413.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:44:20 EST Use this little macro to get a listing of all the slide transition times in your presentation and the total running time, or with a slight modification, have it work with just the currently selected slides. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00355.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:01:50 EST Windows maintains a database that tells it what programs should handle each file type (as determined by the file's extension). If the database is damaged or contains incorrect information, the wrong file may open when you doubleclick a file. This explains how to fix such problems. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00948.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00948.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:14:51 EST In order to perform some computer tasks in Windows Vista, you may need to turn User Account Control (UAC) off. This PowerPoint FAQ page explains how. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00470.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00470.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:17:17 EST How to turn off AutoPlay/AutoRun for your CD-ROM drive http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00527.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00527.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:23:27 EST In case you're unsure what version and service pack level of Windows or PowerPoint you have, this page explains how to find out. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00830.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00830.htm Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:09:26 EST MS has released a hotfix that prevents PowerPoint's focus from jumping to the center of the slide unexpectedly while editing shapes when zoomed in. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00949.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00949.htm Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:34:22 EST Once you've recorded narration for your presentation, it can be difficult to work out which linked sound file belongs to each slide, especially if you've rearranged the slide order. This PowerPoint FAQ page presents a simple macro that locates each linked narration sound file and makes a copy of it under a new sequentially numbered name. The file numbered 1 will match the first slide, the sound file numbered 2 matches slide 2 and so on, no matter how you've rearranged the slide order. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00950.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00950.htm Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:07:00 EST Export the text in your presentation to a CSV file that you can open in Excel. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00637.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00637.htm Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:49:45 EST There are many reasons why a PowerPoint file may open in read-only mode, or otherwise prevent you from making any changes to the file. This page explains why this might happen and what you can do about it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:17:42 EST Sometimes your slide notes text doesn't appear in presenter view. Presenter view locates the second shape on your notes pages and assumes it's the notes text placeholder. Usually this is true but not always. If the notes text isn't the second shape on the notes page, presenter view won't display your notes text. The VBA macro on this PowerPoint FAQ page will correct this problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:18:12 EST Sometimes your slide notes text doesn't appear in presenter view. Presenter view locates the second shape on your notes pages and assumes it's the notes text placeholder. Usually this is true but not always. If the notes text isn't the second shape on the notes page, presenter view won't display your notes text. The VBA macro on this PowerPoint FAQ page will correct this problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00951.htm Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:38:51 EST Sometimes your slide notes text doesn't appear in presenter view. Presenter view locates the second shape on your notes pages and assumes it's the notes text placeholder. Usually this is true but not always. If the notes text isn't the second shape on the notes page, presenter view won't display your notes text. The VBA macro on this PowerPoint FAQ page will correct this problem. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00598.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00598.htm Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:13:45 EST Animations don't play again when you return to a slide you've already viewed during a presentation. This is a deliberate feature of PowerPoint but it's not always what you want. This PPT FAQ page presents a simple workaround. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00953.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00953.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:32:03 EST After you record your slide show narration, sometimes you need to make minor changes. Re-recording the whole thing is a nuisance. Here, we present a few ways of re-recording only the narration for the slides that need it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00953.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00953.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:33:17 EST After you record your slide show narration, sometimes you need to make minor changes. Re-recording the whole thing is a nuisance. Here, we present a few ways of re-recording only the narration for the slides that need it. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00954.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00954.htm Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:13:33 EST Here we present a simple way to force macro code to run semi-automatically as part of a slide presentation. http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00957.htm http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00957.htm Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:52:08 EST Need to programmatically set text in PowerPoint 2007 to the font theme Heading or Body style rather than setting a specific font name? This PowerPonit FAQ page explains how.