[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]
[TOP ISSUE - Are you having difficulty opening presentations in PPT 2003
that you just created in PPT 2003? -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=329820]
Hello,
Linked pictures are always stored as absolute links in PowerPoint. It's
very easy to break links between presentations and their supporting files
(such as multimedia and other presentations) when moving files around in
the Windows Explorer or from one system to another because Windows doesn't
know that there are dependencies in the presentation files, or that the
supporting files are linked to by other documents.
HOW TO PREVENT BROKEN LINKS FROM HAPPENING:
Because of this, in the future, the best way to distribute your
presentations or move/copy/send presentations from one location to another
(while the links are NOT yet broken) is to use the built-in capabilities of
PowerPoint to prepare the presentation for distribution.
The feature and procedure you use will depend on how you plan on sharing,
moving or distributing your presentation, but since you are using
PowerPoint 2003, the feature you should use in Package for CD (which is for
more than just distributing presentations for delivery by CD).
PACKAGE FOR CD
1) Open presentation and verify that all links are working
2) File -> Package for CD
3) If you are moving files to another computer, you are running Windows XP,
and have CD-Burner simply click "Save to CD" button
4) Otherwise (for example, moving presentation to new location on same
system or to network location), click "Save to Folder" button. When done,
the contents of this folder can now be moved/copied to another location,
computer, burned to CD, etc with links updated appropriately.
Of course this won't fix links that have already been broken (because,
pehaps, you moved a presentation or supporting files from Windows Explorer)
but, when used properly it can prevent you from breaking links to your
supporting content (such as multimedia and image files) when moving,
sharing or distributing your presentations.
If you (or anyone else reading this message) think that PowerPoint should
provide additional tools (or update existing tools) for managing
presentations and their supporting content and/or to
find/manage/repair/etc. links (broken or otherwise) to supporting content,
don't forget to send your feedback (in YOUR OWN WORDS, please) to Microsoft
at:
http://register.microsoft.com/mswish/suggestion.asp
It's VERY important that, for EACH wish, you describe in detail, WHY it is
important TO YOU that your product suggestion be implemented. A good wish
submssion includes WHAT scenario, work-flow, or end-result is blocked by
not having a specific feature, HOW MUCH time and effort ($$$) is spent
working around a specific limitation of the current product, etc. Remember
that Microsoft receives THOUSANDS of product suggestions every day and we
read each one but, in any given product development cycle, there are ONLY
sufficient resources to address the ones that are MOST IMPORTANT to our
customers so take the extra time to state your case as CLEARLY and
COMPLETELY as possible so that we can FEEL YOUR PAIN.
IMPORTANT: Each submission should be a single suggestion (not a list of
suggestions).
John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows
For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
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