PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

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hlewton
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PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

I really do not like Office 2016 and all the problems it is causing me. The latest is while I was testing to see if Outlook 2016 would open *.pps or *.ppsx files, and it won't, I discovered that some of my saved *.pps files cannot be opened by PowerPoint 2016. They worked and still do on other computers using PowerPoint 2010. Also it opens fine on another computer running PowerPoint 2016. Any ideas how to fix it on the machine that isn't working as it should?

Thanks
Regards,
hlewton

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HansV
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by HansV »

Are you trying to open the files from File Explorer or from within PowerPoint?
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Hans

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hlewton
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

File Explorer but I'll give it a try the other way now. Just tried it and I got the same results. It asks if I want to repair it and then it says it can't.
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hlewton

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HansV
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by HansV »

Try the following:

- Right-click a presentation.
- Select Properties from the context menu.
- Do you see a check box or button "Unblock"?
- If so, click it.
- Click OK.
- Try to open the presentation.

Does that help?
Best wishes,
Hans

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hlewton
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

HansV wrote:Try the following:

- Right-click a presentation.
- Select Properties from the context menu.
- Do you see a check box or button "Unblock"?
- If so, click it.
- Click OK.
- Try to open the presentation.

Does that help?
That made it work on this computer, thanks. So I tried again to send it to my Outlook 2016 account. I used Gmail and after attaching it still will not open in the Gmail even before I even try to send it. I tried a few other *.pps files and even those that would open with PP 2016 will not open in Gmail, again, before sending them. When I try opening them before sending them a dialog box opens asking what to use to open the pps file and after choosing PowerPoint it crashes with an error dialog box. Any suggestions how to fix that?
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hlewton

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hlewton
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

OK I carried the experiment a bit further. I used Outlook 2016 on another computer, attached the pps file and opened it fine there before sending it. Once I received it on the computer I ma having problems on, again, it would not open. Help.
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hlewton

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HansV
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by HansV »

Never open an attachment directly from an e-mail message. Always download it to disk, unblock the downloaded copy and then open that.
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Hans

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hlewton
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

HansV wrote:Never open an attachment directly from an e-mail message. Always download it to disk, unblock the downloaded copy and then open that.
Thanks I have never in the past done it that way, however I will from now on because of your cure in the previous reply. Until you told me about the "unblock" I couldn't even get it to open after downloading it to my hard drive but if continues to work that way I'll be satisfied.

Let me ask this because I am still waiting for a call back from MS, since Outlook 2016 works differently on my other machine, the way I had expected it to do, does that indicate there may be something still wrong with its installation on the computer in question. BTW this is the one that MS upgraded and then had to run a repair on it two days later. If Outlook 2016 is responding in a normal fashion I'll let them know if and when they call me back.
Regards,
hlewton

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HansV
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by HansV »

I'm not sure. The "normal" behavior when opening an Office document directly from an e-mail message is to open if in "protected mode", i.e. allow viewing but not editing. Refusing to open a document at all is rather drastic.
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Hans

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hlewton
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Re: PowerPoint 2016 will not open some *.pps files

Post by hlewton »

Yeah I thought so too. I ran an additional experiment. I attached a pps file to Outlook 2016 on the machine that is working as I think it should. Before sending it I was able to open the pps file. Once it arrives on the problem machine it would, again, not open. I then tried attaching a pps file in Outlook 2016 on the problem machine. Once attached and before emailing it, it would not open. I believe something is wrong.

The problem machine will not open *.mov or *.mp4 files either but I can right click on them and tell them to open and they do.

Thanks for your help.
Regards,
hlewton