The Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2003 and Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 97 are just what the name implies, a
viewer which only allows you to "view" Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations (.ppt), Microsoft PowerPoint Slide
Shows (.pps), and Microsoft PowerPoint Templates (.pot).
To create, edit, and save PowerPoint Presentations, Slide Shows, and Templates, you will need to either
purchase an edition/suite of Microsoft Office that includes Microsoft PowerPoint, or purchase the full version
of Microsoft PowerPoint.
Keep in mind that some editions/suites of Microsoft Office include Microsoft PowerPoint and some do not. This
mostly applies to older versions of Microsoft Office.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 System Requirements
http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/prodinfo/sysreq.mspx
How to Buy Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/howtobuy/default.mspx
What's in the Office 2003 Editions?
http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/howtobuy/compare.mspx
A downloadable trial version of Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 (which includes Microsoft Office
PowerPoint 2003 Trial) is available.
Trial versions contain all the functionality of the regular (full) version, but can only be used for a limited
time. When the trial period ends, the software will go into reduced functionality mode. Essentially, you will
be able to view Word Documents even after the trial period ends, but not be able to edit/save/create them.
Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 Trial information
http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/prodinfo/standardtrial.mspx
Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 System Requirements
http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/prodinfo/standreq.mspx
Keep in mind that the Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 Trial Software is 228 MB in size. If you are on a
dialup internet connection, the download may take a while and you will need to remain connected during the
download process.
How to convert an Office 2003 Trial edition to a full retail edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831023/
How to Convert Microsoft Office System Trial Product to a Full Version
http://www.microsoft.com/office/trial/convert.mspx
Office 2003 Trial setup and uninstall information
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010984891033.aspx
Or you could download a free open source office suite alternative such as OpenOffice.org which can create,
open, edit, and save Microsoft Word Documents (.doc), Microsoft Word Templates (.dot), Microsoft Excel
Worksheets (.xls), Microsoft Excel Templates (.xlt), Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations (.ppt), Microsoft
PowerPoint Slide Shows (.pps), and Microsoft PowerPoint Templates (.pot).
You find more information about OpenOffice.org at, well...
http://www.openoffice.org/
The latest stable release (at the time of this post) is OpenOffice.org 1.1.5. You can download it here:
http://download.openoffice.org/1.1.5/index.html
If you wait a couple of days, the new OpenOffice.org 2.0 (final version) should be released.
Other downloads can be found here:
http://download.openoffice.org/
And if you need a manual for OpenOffice.org (i.e. an installation manual), you can find them here:
http://documentation.openoffice.org/manuals/
To view PDF files, you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download it here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html