The selected file does not appear to be a valid Microsoft Office P

  • Thread starter Thread starter GBunter
  • Start date Start date
G

GBunter

Hi,
I get this message when I try to open a PowerPoint file that was
created with office 95 -97 in office 2007. I can still open this file with
office 2003 (pre sp3) as SP3 creates blocking of file types from previous
versions. Is this still an issue in office 2007, and if so how to allow
earlier versions to be opened.

Cheers!

Glenn
 
If I recall correctly, PPT 2007 will not open PPT 95-format files. 2003 (pre
SP3, as you are aware) will, though, so open the files in 2003 and re-save
them as regular PowerPoint (2003-format) files. 2003 has an option to save
as "97-2003 & 95" format. That "and 95" part wll get you. Just save it as a
regular PowerPoint file, which in 2003 is really the equivalent of a 97-2003
format (without the "and 95" part), and which all versions except PPT 95 can
open.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to correct me if that's not right.
 
AsEcho said

If you already have SP3 in 2003 you can get it to open earlier files in the
registry by navigating to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\PowerPoint\Security\FileOpenBlock

and changing the "FilesbeforePowerPoint97" DWord to 00000000
--
Amazing PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials

http://www.PPTAlchemy.co.uk
http://www.technologytrish.co.uk
email john AT technologytrish.co.uk
 
Dear John, lease read what I posted in other posts concerning opening office
95 in office 2007 respectivly powerpoint 95 in powerpoint 2007. If You as MVP
have the chance to discuss this with Microsoft: we users do URGENTLY NEED a
converter-pack making it able to 1. view elder files and 2. convert them for
further use. Without any elder version of office and without restrictions. As
I wrote there in the other posts: companies do have any former document
inside any archiv in elder office-file-versions. We cannot convert thousands
of files by hand merely for ensuring we can open them in the future.
Besides: the reg-key You mention is what I miss in 2007. The ADM-Files for
2007 give the oportunity to block some file-types, beside others the older
office-files. But the contrary is not supported: even if I deactivate these
settings, I still cannot open powerpoint95-files in 2007. Thousands of files
in my company would be inaccessible when we would upgrade from 2003 to 2007.
Please let us know when Microsoft enables us to upgrade to 2007 by giving us
access to our elder files ;-)) Thanks in advance.
 
Honestly, you'll be better off looking for a different solution than waiting and
hoping for MS to update PowerPoint 2007 to do what you want. These are files from
12-year-old software (and who knows how many times they've been updated previously).
Realistically, how long can you expect any software company to support previous
versions?

There'd be no need to do the conversions manually.

You could relatively easily write or have written for you a macro that opens every
file in a folder in, say, 2003, then saves it back out in 2003 format so that 2007
will open it from then on.

After checking the files in 2007, it might be wise to convert them to 2007 using a
similar macro.

There's some example code here:
Batch re-save presentations; update older presentations to newer PowerPoint version
http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00740.htm
 
Thanks for the link! I´ll try the scripting.
hmm-guess, You´r right. But I learnd the most in my life from paper
containing information elder than 12 years that i first must learn to live in
a world where information elder than a decade runs off automaticly ;-))
 
Thanks for the link! I´ll try the scripting.
hmm-guess, You´r right. But I learnd the most in my life from paper
containing information elder than 12 years that i first must learn to live in
a world where information elder than a decade runs off automaticly ;-))
Click to expand...

Alas, it's a different world now. This new information has no respect for its elders.
;-)
 
Back
Top