Giving a Presentation on a Different Computer

The computer on which you create a presentation is usually not the same computer that you will use to show it. For example, you may be doing the bulk of your work on your desktop computer in your office in Los Angeles, but you need to use your laptop computer to give the presentation in Phoenix.

One way to transfer a presentation to another computer is simply to copy the PowerPoint file (the file with the .pptx extension) using a floppy disk or other removable media. However, this method is imperfect because it assumes that the other computer has all of the fonts, sounds, and other elements that you need for every part of the show. This can be a dangerous assumption. For example, suppose that your presentation contains a link to some Excel data. If you do not also copy the Excel file, then you cannot update the data when you are on the road.

A better way to ensure that you are taking everything you need while traveling is to use the Package for CD feature in PowerPoint. This feature reads all of the linked files and associated objects and ensures that they are transferred along with the main presentation. You do not actually need to copy the presentation to a writeable CD, and you do not need a CD-R or CD-RW drive to use this feature. You can copy the presentation to anywhere you want, such as to a ZIP drive or a network location.

Copying a Presentation to CD

If you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive, then copying the presentation to CD is an attractive choice. It produces a self-running disc that contains a PowerPoint Viewer application, the presentation file, and any linked files.

By default, a packaged CD includes the PowerPoint Viewer, and the presentation file is in PowerPoint 2003 format. PowerPoint automatically saves 2007-version files back to 2003 format before it burns them to CD. However, you can override this behavior, as you will see later in this chapter in "Setting Copy Options."

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You can copy many presentation files onto a single CD, not just the currently active one. The only limit is the size of the disc (usually 650MB to 700MB). By default, the currently active presentation is included, although the following steps show you how to add other presentations. You can also set up these presentations to run automatically one after another, or you can specify that a menu appears so that the user can choose the presentation that they want to view.

Here is the basic procedure, which is elaborated on in the following sections:

1. Place a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc in your writeable CD drive.

2. Finalize the presentation in PowerPoint. If you are using a CD-R disc, keep in mind that this disc type is not rewriteable, and so you should ensure that the presentation is exactly as you want it.

3. Choose Office Publish Package for CD.

4. A warning appears about updating file formats; click OK. The Package for CD dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 20.18.

   
   Figure 20.18: Use the Package for CD feature to place all of the necessary files for the presentation on a CD.

5. Type a name for the CD; this is similar to adding a volume label for the disc.

6. (Optional). Add more files to the CD if you want. See the next section, "Creating a CD Containing Multiple Presentation Files," for more details.

7. (Optional). Set any options that you want. See the section, "Setting Copy Options," later in this chapter, for more details.

8. Click Copy to CD. The CD-writing process may take several minutes, depending on the writing speed of your CD drive and the size of the presentation files that you are placing on it.

9. A message appears when the files are successfully copied to the CD, asking whether you want to copy the same files to another CD. Click Yes or No. If you choose No, then you must also click Close to close the Package for CD dialog box.

The resulting CD automatically plays the presentations when you insert it in any computer. You can also browse the CD's contents to open the PowerPoint Viewer separately and use it to play specific presentations.

Caution 

File corruption can occur on a CD drive during the writing process. After burning a CD, test it thoroughly by running the complete presentation from CD before you rely on the CD copy as the version that you take with you while traveling.

Creating a CD Containing Multiple Presentation Files

By default, the active presentation is included on the CD, but you can also add others, up to the capacity of your disc. For example, if you have several versions of the same presentation for different audiences, then a single CD can contain all of them. As you are preparing to copy the files using the Package for CD dialog box, shown in Figure 20/18, follow these steps to add more files:

1. Click Add Files. An Add dialog box opens, similar to the Open dialog box that you use to open PowerPoint files.

2. Select the additional files that you want to include, and click Add to return to the Package for CD dialog box. The list of files now appears as shown in Figure 20/19, with extra controls.

   Note 

   You can select multiple files from the same location by holding down the Ctrl key as you click the ones you want. To include multiple files from different locations, repeat steps 1 and 2 for each location.

   
   Figure 20.19: When you specify multiple files for a CD, you can specify the order in which they should play.

3. If you set up the CD to play the presentations automatically (as shown in the next section), the order in which they appear on the list becomes significant. You can rearrange the list by clicking a presentation and then clicking the Up-or Down-arrow buttons to the left of the list.

4. If you need to remove a presentation from the list, click it and then click Remove.

5. Continue making the CD as you normally would.

Setting Copy Options

The default copy options are suitable in most situations. However, you may sometimes want to modify them. To do this, open the Package for CD dialog box, and follow these steps:

1. Click Options. The Options dialog box open, as shown in Figure 20.20.

   
   Figure 20.20: You can set options for copying the presentations to CD.

2. Select a package type. You can choose Viewer Package, which includes the PowerPoint Viewer and saves the file in 2003 format, or you can choose Archive Package, which does not update the file format and does not include the viewer on the CD.

3. The Linked Files check box is selected by default; this option tells PowerPoint to include the full copies of all linked files. You can deselect this option if you want; a static copy of the linked data will remain in the presentation, but the link will not work. You should leave this option selected if you have sounds or multimedia files in your presentation, because these files are always linked (with the exception of some WAV files).

4. The Embedded TrueType Fonts check box is deselected by default. If you think that the destination computer may not contain all of the fonts that are used in the presentation, then select this option. This makes the presentation file slightly larger. Remember, not all fonts can be embedded; this depends on the level of embedding allowed by the font's manufacturer.

5. If you want to add passwords for the presentations, do so in the Enhance Security and Privacy section. There are separate text boxes for open and modify passwords.

6. If you want to check the presentation for private information, such as your name or any comments, select the Inspect Presentations for Inappropriate or Private Information check box.

7. Click OK, and then write the CD as you normally would.

Note 

If you select the check box in step 6, as part of the process, the Document Inspector window opens, and you can use it to check the document for selected types of content. Inspect it and click Inspect.

Copying a Presentation to Other Locations

Although it is not well known, you can also use the Package for CD feature to copy presentation files and their associated support files to any location you want. For example, you can transfer files to another computer on a network, or place them on a floppy or ZIP disc. To do so, follow these steps:

1. In the Package for CD dialog box, set up the package exactly the way you want it, including all of the presentation files and options. See the preceding sections for more information.

2. Click Copy to Folder. A Copy to Folder dialog box appears.

3. Type a name for the new folder to be created in the Name the Folder text box.

4. Type a path for the folder in the Choose Location text box, as shown in Figure 20.21.

   
   Figure 20.21: You can copy presentation files and support files anywhere, not just to a CD.

5. Click OK.

6. If a warning appears about linked files, then click Yes or No as appropriate. PowerPoint copies the files to that location.

7. If a warning appears about comments or ink annotations, click Continue.

8. Click Close to close the Package for CD dialog box.

Using a Presentation CD with the PowerPoint Viewer

To use a self-running presentation CD, just insert it in the CD drive. The presentation starts automatically. You can then move through the presentation as described later in this chapter. If you have placed multiple presentations on the CD and have specified that a menu should appear for them, then this menu appears when you insert the CD. Select the presentation that you want, and click Open to start it. When the presentation has finished, this menu will reappear.