Power Point Pack and Go

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SkateyKat - 22 Aug 2006 20:30 GMT

This wizard won't load the Viewer. The button is grayed out. What to do? I
have downloaded the Viewer and it works fine but won't load in Wizard.

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Echo S - 23 Aug 2006 00:27 GMT

> This wizard won't load the Viewer. The button is grayed out. What to do?
> I
> have downloaded the Viewer and it works fine but won't load in Wizard.

If you're using PPT 2002, it doesn't recognize the PPT 2003 Viewer.

You can either use the old 97 Viewer with the old pack and go, or you can
(manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
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SkateyKat - 23 Aug 2006 21:03 GMT

Thanks! Now, however, I cannot find the old download for the Viewer 97.
Listed in the Office Resource Kit page, the link does not work. Any ideas?

> > This wizard won't load the Viewer. The button is grayed out. What to do?
> > I
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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Echo S - 24 Aug 2006 00:18 GMT

Hit that link below to my site. It's there on the "do it yourself with the
old viewer" page. (shhhhhh, don't tell)

Be aware that if you used motion path or exit animations or picture bullets
or animated GIFs, they won't run in the 97 Viewer.

Signature

> Thanks! Now, however, I cannot find the old download for the Viewer 97.
> Listed in the Office Resource Kit page, the link does not work. Any
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
>> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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SkateyKat - 24 Aug 2006 04:06 GMT

You have been so helpful. I downloaded the old Viewer and it works. I tried
Pack and Go and now it doesn't work because it is looking for pngsetup.ex_.
I ran the Detect and Repair and it asked for the original program CD. I
inserted that but couldn't find the appropriate setup file. I reran the Pack
and Go with no links or fonts checked. Same problem. Yikes, this is
frustrating. Any more ideas?

> Hit that link below to my site. It's there on the "do it yourself with the
> old viewer" page. (shhhhhh, don't tell)
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> >> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
> >> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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Echo S - 24 Aug 2006 16:34 GMT

Wow, what a mess. I'm sorry you're having to struggle with it.

Unfortunately, I don't know all that much about troubleshooting Pack and Go
problems such as those you're experiencing. What's the exact message you
receive when you try Pack and Go and it's looking for pngsetup.ex_? That
might give us a clue.

What is it you're trying to create the Pack and Go for? Maybe there's an
easier way and you can bypass Pack and Go altogether.

Signature

> You have been so helpful. I downloaded the old Viewer and it works. I
> tried
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>> >> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
>> >> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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SkateyKat - 24 Aug 2006 17:43 GMT

OK. The reason I am trying to Pack and Go is because there are people who
need to look at the file and who don't have Powerpoint. I realize that I
could probably send them a link to the Viewer download but not all of them
are that computer savvy and it might be more of a problem than a solution.

As well, I need to compress the file because it is not getting to people I
am sending it to who DO have Powerpoint. I was thinking of trying to put it
into Acrobat but haven't tried experimenting with this one yet. Perhaps if I
took the .pps document and loaded it into Acrobat that would work. Would it
help to make it a Web file? This is not something I have done before.

When I do the P&G thing, I get a dialogue box with the title Powerpoint
(something). The message says "This feature is not available...." I am
assuming the 97 Viewer can't find the new PP program. When I click OK to
load it, that's when I get the request for the pngsetup.ex_ file. (I
apologize, I am not at my computer at home and am winging this a bit. If
that's a problem, I will re-do this later on today.)

I agree that it might just be better to find a workaround for this problem.
Again, I thank you for your help.

> Wow, what a mess. I'm sorry you're having to struggle with it.
>
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
> >> >> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
> >> >> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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Echo S - 26 Aug 2006 01:12 GMT

Hm.

The only thing I can think with the pack and go error is you didn't actually
install the 97 Viewer after you downloaded it. You need to download it and
then double-click to install it. Then when you run Pack and Go, it finds the
various installed Viewer files it needs and bundles them up with the
presentation.

What you might want to do is follow the instructions to create an autorun CD
with the 2003 Viewer (because there are actually fewer files), and then zip
all those files into one folder to send to people or have them download. (In
WinXP, you can do that by selecting all the files and then using a
right-click and Send to Compressed Folder.) But they'd still have to unzip
the file and extract the files and double-click the viewer and oh, man,
that's a bad idea. Forget it. :-)

Maybe create an EXE. EXE files might not get through email to some people
because of security settings. Better to put it on the web and have them
download. http://www.indezine.com/products/powerpoint/pp2003/ppt2exe.html
has instrux for creating an EXE from your PPT file.

You need to realize, though, if you're having trouble even getting the PPT
file to people who DO have PPT, using Pack and Go or any of these other
options to bundle the Viewer isn't going to do anythng but make the file
size bigger. I think putting an EXE on the web for your users to download
might be your best bet.

Signature

> OK. The reason I am trying to Pack and Go is because there are people who
> need to look at the file and who don't have Powerpoint. I realize that I
[quoted text clipped - 71 lines]
>> >> >> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
>> >> >> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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SkateyKat - 26 Aug 2006 07:13 GMT

Hi Echo S:

I love your stream of consciousness replies...you strike me as a relational
learner, you figure things out as you communicate about them?

Problems arose with my Office suite after I installed Viewer 97. I think I
did install it because I used it to view things before I tried to package
them. Now, I have removed Office and reinstalled and it works fine. I have
not yet tried P&G with the reconfigured Office etc. (PS I just tried P&G and
it doesn't recognize it with Office 2000 which I just installed. Probably
doesn't matte at this point.)

What I have done in the meantime is load the files into Acrobat and lo and
behold, they are compressed to a useable (emailable) size and should (I hope,
have not tested) be readable by types without Powerpoint. Acrobat does not
do the slide show as I would prefer but in the grand scheme of things, I
don't care at this point.

I think I will dispense with Pack and Go for the time being because for
purposes of emailing, it's not practical. It really is Pack (like load it
onto a CD) and Go (sneaker net the thing to another computer). You're right,
it's not that great.

Again, I thank you hugely for your support. It's good to know that there
are people out there who are interested enough to share knowledge. Sometimes
all I need is someone to share ideas with and I can figure some things out
for myself.

This reminds me of the really old bulletin boards of days gone by. I used
to "chat" and even talk to someone who was equally interested in furthering
my knowledge and use of software. Believe it or not, I am a "technical
trainer" which means I often teach people how to use software. Isn't it a
wonderful world of ongoing learning?

Best to you and, I have your whereabouts!

> Hm.
>
[quoted text clipped - 98 lines]
> >> >> >> (manually) create an autorun CD with the new Viewer.
> >> >> >> http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncd.htm

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Echo S - 26 Aug 2006 17:35 GMT

> Hi Echo S:
>
> I love your stream of consciousness replies...you strike me as a
> relational
> learner, you figure things out as you communicate about them?

Well, I know I'm a kinesthetic learner -- I learn by doing and seeing/giving
examples and the like. I'm glad my stream of conciousness replies don't
confuse you, because I'm sure they drive some readers nuts!

But yes, explaining something to others forces me to have a thorough grasp
on the subject myself. So this group has been one of the best learning tools
I've ever found!

> What I have done in the meantime is load the files into Acrobat and lo and
> behold, they are compressed to a useable (emailable) size and should (I
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> do the slide show as I would prefer but in the grand scheme of things, I
> don't care at this point.

I think you have made a very wise decision. :-) I still can't think what
would be causing your Pack and Go issues, but yeah, at this point.... I also
think Acrobat (version 6 and later, maybe?) can do some basic animations and
page transitions, if you want to play with that. Might not be worth it,
though.

> Again, I thank you hugely for your support. It's good to know that there
> are people out there who are interested enough to share knowledge.
> Sometimes
> all I need is someone to share ideas with and I can figure some things out
> for myself.

Yeah. Working in a vacuum is difficult. I did that for a number of years,
and it was probably the hardest part of my job. But it's also how I ended up
here, so I guess it wasn't all bad, hehe.

> This reminds me of the really old bulletin boards of days gone by. I used
> to "chat" and even talk to someone who was equally interested in
> furthering
> my knowledge and use of software. Believe it or not, I am a "technical
> trainer" which means I often teach people how to use software. Isn't it a
> wonderful world of ongoing learning?

Yup, pretty much the same. I can totally believe you're a tech trainier. You
laid your your problem and the relevant information very nicely. I find
that's often a sign of someone who understands what information is necessary
to teach a subject or solve a problem. And you know when it's time to fish
or cut bait, too! :-)

> Best to you and, I have your whereabouts!

You're very welcome. Come back any time!

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Steve Rindsberg - 28 Aug 2006 15:48 GMT

> What I have done in the meantime is load the files into Acrobat and lo and
> behold, they are compressed to a useable (emailable) size and should (I hope,
> have not tested) be readable by types without Powerpoint. Acrobat does not
> do the slide show as I would prefer but in the grand scheme of things, I
> don't care at this point.

To add another rivulet to the ongoing stream of consciousness:

Acrobat 7 does animations, but all versions (I'm talking 3 and later) will do
page transitions. Without special extra software you can only assign one page
transition for all of the slides in a presentation rather than page by page, or
at least that's true in earlier versions.

Transitions only appear when the PDF's in full-screen mode. You can use Acrobat
to set the PDF to open in full-screen mode automatically. Yell if you need
specifics (and let us know which AcroVersion you use).

-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

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