MCI errorTHE SPECIFIED DEVICE IS NOW BEING CLOSED

[Doc Woldman]

If I insert awmv or mpg video into powerpoint it crashes with the above error
if I accidentally double click it. There is no way I can get the program to
repsond.

Has anyone any ideas?

 

[Doc Woldman]

Sorry,

Should have said that I am using Windows XP and Powerpoint 2003

 

[Austin Myers]

My bet is that another program has hosed your settings. The easiest
solution (works 95% of the time) is to download and reinstall Windows Media
Player.

Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Doc Woldman]

Thanks, but... I must be in the 5% in which this fails. I did download
Quicktime recently and needed quicktime PRO. the only version I could get was
version 7 a beta version. I tried un-installing this but it made no
difference.
Any other suggestions. I tried looking at regedit but my confidence for
making any changes failed me!

 

[Doc Woldman]

I tried restoring the system to before the quicktime was installed. No
effect! Interestingly the system says it now cannot undo my restore. System
is working fine except for problem mentioned. I have discovered that it is
only when I am editing the slide view that there is a problem. When a slide
show is on, it works without crashing

 

[Austin Myers]

Doc,

That really sounds like a video driver issue. Hit the manufactures web site
and see if they have an updated driver for your video card.


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Doc Woldman]

Thanks Austin,

Still no luck. Dowloaded a driver from Dell, still no effect! I will let
everybody know if I ever solve it.

 

[Doc Woldman]

I have just discovered a very curious thing. If I log in to the computer as
another user (my wife) there is no problem. I checked the settings using
regeit for the MCI player and they are identical. I know I am close to fixing
t his, but just cant go that one last step!! Any ideas?
--
Doc Woldman

Thanks Austin,

Still no luck. Dowloaded a driver from Dell, still no effect! I will let
everybody know if I ever solve it.

 

[scargo]

Doc,
I am getting the same error and am just starting to research this
problem. In my case, an employee brought me a CD containing a Powerpoint
2003 file and five MPEG movie files. When I run the embedded movie files
from within Powerpoint (and from the CD), they run fine. Once I dragged the
MPEGs and Powerpoint file onto my harddrive (WINXP, SP2) and started up the
Powerpoint presentation, I can view an entire movie from within Powerpoint,
but at the end of the movie, Powerpoint bombs and displays the "MCI Error,
The specified device is now being closed". It is interesting that if I run
the MPEG movies from outside of Powerpoint, using Windows Media Player 10,
they run fine. This suggests that the problem is not with your video driver,
as Austin suggests, but something with the way Powerpoint and WMP interact.

Scargo

 

[Doc Woldman]

That's the one! I was beginning to think I was unique. I am taering my hair
out with this one. Please let me know if you solve it.