PPS access inexplicably denied

I've been opening power point slide shows for months, and now suddenly Vista is giving me the "you need to create a file" message, indicating that I now no longer have the ability to open this type of attachment.

I haven't done a thing to any of my settings, because I don't even know how! I have not uninstalled any programs. How did this happen? How do I fix it?

 

Red X & "clanking" sound. Message reads:

"This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel. "

I looked up Microsoft Office Power Point in my programs, and it is a 2007 version. I can't find one that's more recent than that.

 

Hi noclue,

Where is this pps file located? Is it an email attachment? If opening a pps attachment from within Outlook Express is problematic, it may be easier just to save the file, and then open it but another possibility, involves a registry tweak with association and/or verb default, as follows.

The symptom would be:

When you open a .PPS file that came as a mail attachment in Windows Mail, you may see the Open / Cancel dialog box. When you select Open, the following error may be displayed:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.

This may happen even though you have PowerPoint Viewer 2003 or 2007 installed. However, the same file may open correctly when saved to disk, and then viewed. Note that this problem does not occur if you have Microsoft Office or PowerPoint installed.

The Cause, in this case:

This happens if the Open command is missing for .PPS and/or .PPT file types.

The fix involves a regedit. See:

http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...ectly-from-Windows-Mail-in-Windows-Vista.html

 

Hi (again), goddez1,

The pps files are coming as attachments in emails. I've never had a problem with these before. Since they're from my dad, I'd like to be able to open them so I have something I can write back to him. Our topics of conversation are limited.

I've never heard of regedit before, either. So, this will be a new journey. Strange word...

 

OK, two things:

1) The instructions say, "...this probblem does not occur if you have Microsoft Office or PowerPoint installed." I do have "Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer, 2007" in my programs. I'm assuming this is the program referenced in the instructions? If so, I'm not understanding why this problem is occurring when it has been working just fine up until recently.

2) I couldn't even get past step two in the instructions. I found HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, but that is all I have. I don't have the entire line: HKEY_CLASS_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11\shell\show.

Right-clicking on what I do have only gives me a drop down menu with these choices: Expand, New, Find, Export, Permssions, and Copy key Name.

 

Wow, this is a really hot topic, huh?

So, I tried the regedit.exe again, and clicked on "edit" on the tool bar once I got to the registry. I scrolled waaay down to pps, opened it, and highlighted open. Nothing happened. And the word "shell" wasn't there.

Tried to open the ever-accumulating pps emails, and got the same message.

I tried reading winhelp posts, but they are not helpful.

 

Arie -- I just google "repair install of MS office" to find a download or something?

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Later: I don't seem to have Microsoft Office installed. ?!? It's not listed in my programs. How could I have been opening pps attachments all of this time if I didn't have it installed? That I can no longer open them now is even more perplexing... I do, however, have Open Office.

A geek was here helping me with another problem. He noticed that I didn't have MS Office, and downloaded Open Office for me. I believe it was shortly after that when the unopenable pps attachments started appearing. Does that make any sense?

 

Hi noclue,

openoffice.org impress > "simpress.exe" is open office's presentation program or it's equivalent of MS powerpoint.

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As Arie suggests: For a completely automated program you can get the free Powerpoint slide-show viewer from Microsoft.This free software lets you view .pps files but not edit them in any way.

download and install powerpoint viewer 2007:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...40-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en

Once the viewer is downloaded and installed it should associate its self with appropriate power point extensions, pps being one of those.

Download and save the emailed pps attachment to a folder of your choice. Once pps is downloaded and clicked on it will open in viewer, "pptview.exe ". If not you can open pptview.exe and from within it open the pps.

I think I previously mentioned downloading the attached pps file is usually less problematic than fixing a fussy open/play command from within email but if this work around is not acceptable then the previously suggested registry adjustment or edit was suppose to take care of a viewer/email attached/pps. When using a search engine to research this problem, this is a standard fix, found, recommended, and commonly reputed to work.

Now I see you have an added twist to this and have since had "open office" installed. As I understand it, open office's powerpoint substitute is something called "Impress It ". It is suppose to be able to handle playing attached .pps files from within email but an extension may be needed. It still may be easier just to download the attached pps file and then play it.

Not having or using "open office" is going to make this difficult for any member to know just what to advise. Perhaps a peek at a the open office support site may be more helpful.

http://support.openoffice.org/

 

I DO have MS Power Point Viewer (see 3# post). But I DON'T have Microsoft Office. How did that happen?!? I am using whatever programs came with the computer, and it's only four months old.

I can't find a free download for Microsoft Office... What if I uninstalled Open Office and downloaded MS Office (when I find a free one)? Would that help?

 

Can you download and save the attachment (*.pps) that your father sent?

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MS Office suites are major software money makers for Microsoft and can be quite expensive. No freebies will be found. Trials may, on occasion, be available but your better off with "open office" if you cannot afford nor do not have a real need for such a suite of programs. Sorry Noclue.

 

So, it doesn't come with a new computer then? Do you have it? Is it worth the money?

With the pps my dad (& others sent), I can download it, but I can't open it. How would I save it? It's an email, so if I saved it to, say, My Documents, wouldn't I have the same problem trying to open it from there? I am not trying to be a smart aleck; I am just not understanding (as usual ).

 

Hi noclue,

I'm not suggesting you save the whole email just the attachment. You did say the *.eml had a *.pps attachment, did you not?

Once the *.pps file is saved, you should have a file, named by dad, ending with the with the extension of .pps. You should be able to right click on it and choose which program to use to open this with. I'm hoping it will have both "Microsoft power point viewer" and "Impress" as options. If not then opening one or both of these programs and from within it, select file>run or open, and a browse to the pps should play it.

I'm also interested in confirming if this is indeed a FileName.pps and if so, nothing is wrong with the slide show. Speaking of which, do you have other emails with attachments of pps, that you have opened in the past, with no problem.? Do these open? Do you have other *.pps files on hardrive? Do these play? Just curious.

 

Well, as usual, I'm going to stumble around with a reply...

OK. I get the email. I click on it. There is a paper clip on the right side. I click on it (right or left click, I get the same thing). There is a drop-down which (sometimes) has two choices: One of the choices ends in "pps." The choice below that is "Save attachments." Only two of the four emails I've been saving offer the "Save attachments" choice. All are "pps. "

So, the right click doesn't offer me a choice of which program to open the attachment with. Am I supposed to click on "Save attachments" first? What does * mean?

 

I have something called "pps fix" installed on this computer. I thought it might "fix" the problem, so I tried to open it. But I got a window saying that the program was set up for XP! $#@! Why do I even have it in the first place? Vista continues to confound and frustrate me.

 

Hi noclue,

pps fix just makes changes to the registry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT replacing show with open as default action for the pps extension. Much like what you were suppose to do and attempted to do after installing "ms power point viewer ". I believe you reported back that you were unable to find the appropriate hkey and values in your registry. Rather than have you muck around in your reg, I decided that it might be safer to try to tackle this in another way.

I was hoping you would review threads of post here and after calmly thinking about it, realize that I clearly want you to download and save the pps attachment your father sent, not the email.

Your question:

YES, yes, yes. That's exactly what I want you to do.

To answer your question:
The * symbol is just a wildcard symbol or substitute for the name your dad has given the pps file. Since I don't know what name he has given it, it is *.pps or ???.pps to me.

I thought the last thread explained what the main goals were:
1. save attachment to your desktop, for example, (which should have resulted in a file dads*.pps on the desktop)
2. open either "microsoft power point viewer" or "openoffice.org impress" (both of these applications should have shortcuts in your startmenu>programs list).
3. Once the program is open, from either programs menu bar open (browse to) where dads.pps is located and play it.

If I had vista, I could give you a specific/literal "step by step ", but I am using xp. Any steps I supplied would vary from yours so all I can offer is general to-dos. It's up to you to figure out how to accomplish the tasks given.

Once this is done additional steps can be given that will allow you to permanently associate the chosen program and action for a clicked on pps. Sorry noclue, I don't know how to make this any easier or painless for you.

 

Goddez1 -- You have been more than patient, and I appreciate your sticking with me on this. I confess that I am diagnosed with a mild learning disorder, so I am not deliberately being hard-headed or anything; I have trouble with instructions. It's embarrassing, but I figured you should know.

Anyway, I followed the steps but had to improvise a bit... I clicked on Save Attachments, but never saw anything offering me a choice of ways to view the pps. So, I just clicked on Save, and the file went to My Documents. I was able to open them there. At last! I still don't understand what has happened that I have to do it this way, but thanks to your help, at least I can now open them. I was finally able to write back to my dad, the main point of the exercise.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed and to Goddez1 who never gave up on me.

 

howdy,

Good news, I see. You have been able to open the saved attachment. I think we will let the task of "opening this from within an email" alone and be happy that using the alternate method of downloading the attachment and then playing it works.

Glad I could help and your most welcome. Don't be embarrassed about any problem you have. We all have our "strong and weak" "points and moments ". My only regret is that my vista machine is out of commission right now and I cannot give you the detailed, literal step-by-steps that seem to make some of the problems you face easier to accomplish. Oh well, we got this one done and I will consider it finis.