Unable to open PPS

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Outlook Convert - 26 Apr 2007 21:52 GMT

I'm using MS Office 2003. I created a PowerPoint presentation and saved it
as a *.pps. I emailed the *.pps file directly from PowerPoint (File ==> Send
To ==> Mail Recipient (as Attachment)). The email recipients all work within
my organization, therefore we all use PowerPoint 2003 and Outlook 2003. A
few of the email recipients contacted me and told me they received an error
message after double-clicking on the *.pps file:
"PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

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Echo S - 26 Apr 2007 22:07 GMT

Try saving it to the harddrive and sending from Outlook as an attachment. At
the least, it will rule out the "send to" as the problem.

Signature

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/

> I'm using MS Office 2003. I created a PowerPoint presentation and saved
> it
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
> Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

Reply to this Message

Outlook Convert - 27 Apr 2007 14:08 GMT

I am very familiar with the steps that you've outlined and I appreciate your
response, however I was wondering if anyone else experienced the same problem
as I did and if they knew the root cause and resolution as opposed to
providing me with alternative steps. Has anyone else encountered the same
issue that I described in my original post? Thanks.

> Try saving it to the harddrive and sending from Outlook as an attachment. At
> the least, it will rule out the "send to" as the problem.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> > "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
> > Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

Reply to this Message

Echo S - 27 Apr 2007 15:49 GMT

I was suggesting it as a test to rule out general problems sending PPT files
saved to that same folder. I was particularly curious if the file you were
sending from within PPT resides on a mapped drive -- perhaps one that other
users don't have access to.

It's a bit odd, though, because the file path shouldn't get embedded in
there when you use send to. You did save the presentation before you sent
it, right? Does the file path listed in the error give you any clues?

Signature

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/

>I am very familiar with the steps that you've outlined and I appreciate
>your
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>> > "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
>> > Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

Reply to this Message

Outlook Convert - 27 Apr 2007 17:02 GMT

Eureka! A Help Desk specialist within my organization found the culprit!
Our organization has a max compression add-in which automatically compresses
file attachments; the add-in is supposed to decompress attachments, but for
whatever reason it didn't. Following are the steps that corrected the
problem:

Help menu ==> About Microsoft Outlook.
Click the [Disabled items] button.
Select the max compression line item and click the [Enable] button.
Tools menu ==> Options
Click the "Max Compression" tab.
Select "Do not compress attachments at all" and click [OK].

Thanks for your help Echo!

> I was suggesting it as a test to rule out general problems sending PPT files
> saved to that same folder. I was particularly curious if the file you were
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> >> > "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
> >> > Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

Reply to this Message

Echo S - 27 Apr 2007 20:21 GMT

That's great to know. Thanks for posting back with what resolved it for you.

Signature

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/

> Eureka! A Help Desk specialist within my organization found the culprit!
> Our organization has a max compression add-in which automatically
[quoted text clipped - 57 lines]
>> >> > "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
>> >> > Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

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Steve Rindsberg - 27 Apr 2007 19:20 GMT

> I am very familiar with the steps that you've outlined and I appreciate your
> response, however I was wondering if anyone else experienced the same problem
> as I did and if they knew the root cause and resolution as opposed to
> providing me with alternative steps. Has anyone else encountered the same
> issue that I described in my original post? Thanks.

[ posted this before I saw you'd found an answer; figured I might as well leave
it here in case the same thing bites someone else ]

Apparently so:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/835404

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/828041

There are quite a few more articles out there.

Hint: when you have a very specific error message like that, pick out the most
relevant phrase and plug it into Google along with the name of the program, like
so:

"PowerPoint can't read" outlook

> > Try saving it to the harddrive and sending from Outlook as an attachment. At
> > the least, it will rule out the "send to" as the problem.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> > > "PowerPoint can't read <File Name and Path>"
> > > Has anyone run into this problem? Thanks in advance.

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

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