Working with the PowerPoint Viewer

The PowerPoint Viewer is a utility that shows PowerPoint presentations but cannot edit them. It is similar to being permanently in Slide Show view. If the computer on which you will show the presentation does not have PowerPoint installed, you will need the PowerPoint Viewer to view the presentation.

Note 

The PowerPoint Viewer that comes with PowerPoint 2007 does not show PowerPoint 2007 files - only PowerPoint 97–2003 format files. Therefore, when you create a CD with the Package for CD feature, as shown in the preceding section, PowerPoint converts the files to the 97–2003 format.

Playing a Presentation with the PowerPoint Viewer

To use a self-running presentation CD that was created with the Package for CD feature, just insert the CD into your computer. If the computer has AutoPlay set up for the CD drive, the presentation starts automatically. If it does not, double-click the CD icon in the Computer window.

If you have placed multiple presentations on the CD and specified that a selection menu should appear for them, then a menu - actually a modified Open dialog box - appears when you insert the CD. Select the presentation that you want and click Open. This dialog box reappears when the presentation has completed; click the Cancel button in the menu when you are finished.

You can also play presentations with the PowerPoint Viewer independently from any package. Simply double-click the executable file for the viewer (pptview.exe); a dialog box prompts you to choose the presentation that you want to open.

Making the PowerPoint Viewer Available Separately

The PowerPoint Viewer must be packaged with a set of dynamic link library, or DLL, files in order to work. When you use the Package for CD feature, it automatically includes these support files.

Here are the files that you need to keep together when you distribute the PowerPoint Viewer:

• Autorun.inf

• Intldate.dll

• Microsoft.vs80.crt.manifest

• Msvcm80.dll

• Msvcp80.dll

• Msvcr80.dll

• Ogl.dll

• Pptview.exe

• Pptviewexe.manifest

• Ppvwintl.dll

• Saext.dll

The following steps describe an easy way to make a disc or folder that contains the necessary files:

1. Create a blank presentation and save it as Deleteme.ppt. Then package this presentation for CD, but package it to a folder on your hard disk rather than to a CD.

2. Open the folder in a file management window and delete the following files: Deleteme.ppt, Autorun.inf, Playlist.txt, and Play.bat. You can keep the http://www.pvreadme.htm file if you want.

3. (Optional) If you want to make the set of files available to others through e-mail or the Web, use a compression program (or right-click and select Send To Compressed [zipped] Folder) to create a ZIP file containing the files.