[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the Critical
Update or Service Pack 1 for Office 2003 as soon as possible. From
PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for Updates".]
[TOP ISSUE - Are you having difficulty opening presentations in PowerPoint
that you just created (you can save, but not open)? -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=329820]
Hello,
If you are using PowerPoint 2002 or PowerPoint 2003 you can use the "Modify
Password" feature to allow people to open the presentation but not make
changes to it and the "Open Password" to prevent people from even being
able to open a presentation. The resulting presentation cannot be opened at
all in PPT 2000 and earlier since they don't know anything about passwords
and, in PowerPoint 2002 or 2003 the user will be presented with a dialog
prompting them to enter a password (as you've discovered)
Additionally, in PowerPoint 2003, you can use the new Permissions feature
to provide some additional level of control over who can do what with the
presentation based on who they are (authentication) instead of whether or
not they have a password. For more information on the permissions
(information rights management) feature in Office 2003 go to:
http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/preview.aspx?AssetID=HP062208591033&C
TT=98
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechn
ol/office/Office2003/Plan/Of03IRM.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2003/six/ch20/ColA01.htm
If you (or anyone else reading this message) think that PowerPoint should
have additional options for restricting access to presentations (without
having to resort to password, vba or 3rd party add-ins), don't forget to
send your feedback (in YOUR OWN WORDS, please) to Microsoft by either:
PREFERRED METHOD:
A) If you are using Microsoft's web-based, online newsreader for Office
communities
(
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?dg=microsoft.p
ublic.powerpoint), check to see whether or not the suggestion has been
submitted before (Show -> Suggestions for Microsoft) and, if so, add your
vote to the suggestion submission. If the suggestion has not been submitted
before, click on the "New" drop-down menu and choose "Suggestion for
Microsoft" from directly within the newsreader web page.
OR, NEXT BEST METHOD:
B) If you are using another newsreader (such as Microsoft Outlook Express),
submit your suggestion using your web browser at the following address:
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.
