PowerPoint 2007 error message when trying to create chart object

  • Thread starter Elizabeth Swoope
  • Start date
E

Elizabeth Swoope

I teach a microcomputer literacy class and I'm working through my existing
materials for Office 2003 using Office 2007 to see what changes I'm going to
have to make.

I'm using PowerPoint 2007. I've created a presentation which currently has
two slides. The second slide is Title and Contents. When I click on the
button to insert a chart, I select Column Chart then OK. I get the following
error message "To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog boxes
or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel." then "Some chart types
cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

Excel is not open. I even restarted the computer to clear out the cobwebs
just in case my having opened Excel 2007 earlier was the cause of the
problems, but that didn't help.

There are no dialog boxes open. I'm not trying to combine any types of
charts. I just want to create a simple column chart by typing in data.

(I have both Office 2003 and Office 2007 running on this computer, a Toshiba
tablet running WinXP Pro.)

I was thinking how handy it is to be able to choose one slide type then
click a button for the type of content, rather than having to choose among
several slide types, depending on what content you want to include, but I'm
not thrilled at this error that I can't seem to get around. I must be doing
something stupid and I just don't realize it.

Thanks,

liz
 
E

Echo S

Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?
 
E

Elizabeth Swoope

Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a chart on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure, but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining about
something being open in Excel.

liz
 
E

Echo S

Great detective work, Elizabeth. Thanks!

It shouldn't (and doesn't, usually) work this way. But your great detective
work may help us find an answer as to what the problem is.

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button |
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


Elizabeth Swoope said:
Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure, but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining about
something being open in Excel.

liz



Echo S said:
Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
E

Elizabeth Swoope

Echo,

Yay! Clap, clap, clap! Running the diagnostics fixed the problem. The last
part, the setup diagnostics, took half of forever to run. The results
indicated that all installation problems found were repaired. I didn't even
have to close PowerPoint, I just opened my presentation and clicked on the
chart button on the slide and everything worked as it should..

Thanks so much for your help! I'm going to print this thread and include the
information in my materials in case one of my students has the same problem.

liz
 
E

Elizabeth Swoope

Echo,

I forgot to answer that last question. I don't have any add-ons installed as
far as I know. The only possibility is the compatibility pack, but that's for
Office 2003. I did the vanilla standard install.

liz

:
 
E

Echo S

No worries -- it was kind of a backup question in case the diagnostics
didn't work! :)

And I'm really glad to hear they did! When you add the information about
running diagnostics for your students (referring to your post elsethread),
you might want to just make it a generic suggestion. What I'm saying is that
your specific problem with Excel and charts was really unusual, but running
the Office Diagnostics is a good place to start if PPT starts acting
strangely in general. Make sense?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


Elizabeth Swoope said:
Echo,

I forgot to answer that last question. I don't have any add-ons installed
as
far as I know. The only possibility is the compatibility pack, but that's
for
Office 2003. I did the vanilla standard install.

liz

:

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
E

Elizabeth Swoope

Echo,

I will make a mental note that any oddball behavior merits running the
diagnostics and I'll include that in my material. I do like to include
specific error messages as examples and I'm sure that the students will
encounter plenty that I won't see. My materials are a constant work in
progress!

liz

:
 
S

srmc955

I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from failing! I am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and Student 07. The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

Echo S said:
Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button |
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


Elizabeth Swoope said:
Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure, but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining about
something being open in Excel.

liz



Echo S said:
Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
E

Echo S

Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


srmc955 said:
I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from failing! I
am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and Student 07. The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

Echo S said:
Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button
|
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will
fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


Elizabeth Swoope said:
Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a
chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the
chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure,
but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining
about
something being open in Excel.

liz



:

Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I
can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then?
What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
R

roberto b

hello,

sorry, i know this post is long "after the fact" but i've just encountered
the same problem - powerpoint 2007 error upon trying to create chart is "some
chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different
chart type." This occurs with creation of a new presentation. Office 2007
had run without this error previously - it began only recently.

I'm running XP and Office 2007 with all updates . based on the previous
posts i've tried a number of things.

I've unistalled and reinstalled Office 2007.

I've run "office diagnostics" and no error was found.

I've tried opening excel before opening powerpoint - didn't fix.

I "checked" all objects under display options for excel workbook - no change.

I did find a "workaround" - if i create the chart in excel i can then copy
it to powerpoint and that seems to work (at least so far).

any help would certainly be most appreciated.

thanks

roberto





Echo S said:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


srmc955 said:
I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from failing! I
am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and Student 07. The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

Echo S said:
Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button
|
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will
fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a
chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the
chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure,
but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining
about
something being open in Excel.

liz



:

Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I
can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then?
What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
E

Echo S

Hm. I wonder if your default chart type has gotten changed somehow.

You might try Insert | Chart, select the first chart in the dialog box (the
"clustered column"), and click "set as default chart."

Have you applied Service Pack 1 for Office 2007? That would also be woth a
shot.

Finally, since this began only recently, what's changed? Have you installed
any add-ins or anything? What antivirus program are you using?

Have you rebooted? (I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it often resolves
these odd issues. Turn off the computer, go get a cup of coffee, then come
back and boot 'er back up....)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


roberto b said:
hello,

sorry, i know this post is long "after the fact" but i've just encountered
the same problem - powerpoint 2007 error upon trying to create chart is
"some
chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a
different
chart type." This occurs with creation of a new presentation. Office
2007
had run without this error previously - it began only recently.

I'm running XP and Office 2007 with all updates . based on the previous
posts i've tried a number of things.

I've unistalled and reinstalled Office 2007.

I've run "office diagnostics" and no error was found.

I've tried opening excel before opening powerpoint - didn't fix.

I "checked" all objects under display options for excel workbook - no
change.

I did find a "workaround" - if i create the chart in excel i can then copy
it to powerpoint and that seems to work (at least so far).

any help would certainly be most appreciated.

thanks

roberto





Echo S said:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


srmc955 said:
I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from failing!
I
am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and Student 07.
The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

:

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office
Button
|
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will
fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins
installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


in
message Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a
chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the
chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It
also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint
and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure,
but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is
an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel
and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining
about
something being open in Excel.

liz



:

Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I
can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then?
What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
R

roberto b

thanks - think i'm now one step closer (but half a step backwards).

with your prompting recalled that i had done a "registry clean" before this
happened. so, restored old registry and problem of "cannot combine..."
There were "thousands" of registry entries cleaned and a quick look didn't
reveal one that seemed powerpoint specific, but i certainly could have missed
it.

now the problem is different - i can add a chart and edit the data.
However, if i duplicate the slide the data in the copied chart can no longer
be edited. It's as if the link the the data table has been lost.

I have applied service back1 (and rebooted so many times that i'm floating
in a sea of coffee). i use a zone alarm "security suite" which includes a
firewall and virus/spy program.

thanks again for your help.

roberto

Echo S said:
Hm. I wonder if your default chart type has gotten changed somehow.

You might try Insert | Chart, select the first chart in the dialog box (the
"clustered column"), and click "set as default chart."

Have you applied Service Pack 1 for Office 2007? That would also be woth a
shot.

Finally, since this began only recently, what's changed? Have you installed
any add-ins or anything? What antivirus program are you using?

Have you rebooted? (I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it often resolves
these odd issues. Turn off the computer, go get a cup of coffee, then come
back and boot 'er back up....)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


roberto b said:
hello,

sorry, i know this post is long "after the fact" but i've just encountered
the same problem - powerpoint 2007 error upon trying to create chart is
"some
chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a
different
chart type." This occurs with creation of a new presentation. Office
2007
had run without this error previously - it began only recently.

I'm running XP and Office 2007 with all updates . based on the previous
posts i've tried a number of things.

I've unistalled and reinstalled Office 2007.

I've run "office diagnostics" and no error was found.

I've tried opening excel before opening powerpoint - didn't fix.

I "checked" all objects under display options for excel workbook - no
change.

I did find a "workaround" - if i create the chart in excel i can then copy
it to powerpoint and that seems to work (at least so far).

any help would certainly be most appreciated.

thanks

roberto





Echo S said:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from failing!
I
am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and Student 07.
The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

:

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office
Button
|
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will
fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins
installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


in
message Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a
chart
on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the
chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It
also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint
and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure,
but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is
an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel
and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining
about
something being open in Excel.

liz



:

Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I
can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then?
What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
 
Z

zaphod beeblebrox

Hey--just a note that the same thing worked for me...thanks.
I teach a microcomputer literacy class and I'm working through my existing
materials for Office 2003 using Office 2007 to see what changes I'm going to
have to make.

I'm using PowerPoint 2007. I've created a presentation which currently has
two slides. The second slide is Title and Contents. When I click on the
button to insert a chart, I select Column Chart then OK. I get the following
error message "To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog boxes
or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel." then "Some chart types
cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

Excel is not open. I even restarted the computer to clear out the cobwebs
just in case my having opened Excel 2007 earlier was the cause of the
problems, but that didn't help.

There are no dialog boxes open. I'm not trying to combine any types of
charts. I just want to create a simple column chart by typing in data.

(I have both Office 2003 and Office 2007 running on this computer, a Toshiba
tablet running WinXP Pro.)

I was thinking how handy it is to be able to choose one slide type then
click a button for the type of content, rather than having to choose among
several slide types, depending on what content you want to include, but I'm
not thrilled at this error that I can't seem to get around. I must be doing
something stupid and I just don't realize it.

Thanks,

liz
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 9:48 PM Echo S wrote:
Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:[email protected]...
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:23 PM Echo S wrote:
Great detective work, Elizabeth. Thanks!

It shouldn't (and doesn't, usually) work this way. But your great detective
work may help us find an answer as to what the problem is.

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button |
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:D[email protected]...
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 11:07 AM Echo S wrote:
No worries -- it was kind of a backup question in case the diagnostics
didn't work! :)

And I'm really glad to hear they did! When you add the information about
running diagnostics for your students (referring to your post elsethread),
you might want to just make it a generic suggestion. What I'm saying is that
your specific problem with Excel and charts was really unusual, but running
the Office Diagnostics is a good place to start if PPT starts acting
strangely in general. Make sense?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, April 05, 2008 10:07 AM Echo S wrote:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 9:41 AM Echo S wrote:
Hm. I wonder if your default chart type has gotten changed somehow.

You might try Insert | Chart, select the first chart in the dialog box (the
"clustered column"), and click "set as default chart."

Have you applied Service Pack 1 for Office 2007? That would also be woth a
shot.

Finally, since this began only recently, what's changed? Have you installed
any add-ins or anything? What antivirus program are you using?

Have you rebooted? (I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it often resolves
these odd issues. Turn off the computer, go get a cup of coffee, then come
back and boot 'er back up....)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


news:[email protected]...
 
E

echos

Glad to hear it, thanks for letting us know! (Sorry it took me so long to
meander my way to an answer for that problem, though!)

--
Echo

zaphod beeblebrox said:
Hey--just a note that the same thing worked for me...thanks.
I teach a microcomputer literacy class and I'm working through my
existing
materials for Office 2003 using Office 2007 to see what changes I'm going
to
have to make.

I'm using PowerPoint 2007. I've created a presentation which currently
has
two slides. The second slide is Title and Contents. When I click on the
button to insert a chart, I select Column Chart then OK. I get the
following
error message "To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog
boxes
or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel." then "Some chart types
cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart
type."

Excel is not open. I even restarted the computer to clear out the cobwebs
just in case my having opened Excel 2007 earlier was the cause of the
problems, but that didn't help.

There are no dialog boxes open. I'm not trying to combine any types of
charts. I just want to create a simple column chart by typing in data.

(I have both Office 2003 and Office 2007 running on this computer, a
Toshiba
tablet running WinXP Pro.)

I was thinking how handy it is to be able to choose one slide type then
click a button for the type of content, rather than having to choose
among
several slide types, depending on what content you want to include, but
I'm
not thrilled at this error that I can't seem to get around. I must be
doing
something stupid and I just don't realize it.

Thanks,

liz
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 9:48 PM Echo S wrote:
Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't
for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's
counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What
if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:[email protected]...
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:11 PM ElizabethSwoop wrote:
Echo,

Excel must be opened before PowrePoint is opened in order to put a
chart on
the slide, whether I used the Title and cContent slide and click the
chart
button or use Insert > Chart.

It does not work to open PowerPoint, say "oops" and open Excel. It also
doesn't work if you do that, leave Excel open, shut down PowerPoint and
get
back into PowerPoint. (One trial only so I can't be absolutely sure,
but I
think so.)

Looks like the only sequence that works is to open Excel then open
PowerPoint. I don't know who thought this was a good idea! This is an
example
of way too much lipstick on a pig!

Thanks so much for your help. It didn't occur to me to open Excel and
leave
it open to work in PowerPoint, especially since PP was complaining
about
something being open in Excel.

liz



"Echo S" wrote:
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:23 PM Echo S wrote:
Great detective work, Elizabeth. Thanks!

It shouldn't (and doesn't, usually) work this way. But your great
detective
work may help us find an answer as to what the problem is.

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office
Button |
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will
fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins
installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


in
message news:D[email protected]...
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 7:45 AM ElizabethSwoop wrote:
Echo,

Yay! Clap, clap, clap! Running the diagnostics fixed the problem. The
last
part, the setup diagnostics, took half of forever to run. The results
indicated that all installation problems found were repaired. I
didn't even
have to close PowerPoint, I just opened my presentation and clicked
on the
chart button on the slide and everything worked as it should..

Thanks so much for your help! I'm going to print this thread and
include the
information in my materials in case one of my students has the same
problem.

liz

"Echo S" wrote:
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 8:57 AM ElizabethSwoop wrote:
Echo,

I forgot to answer that last question. I don't have any add-ons
installed as
far as I know. The only possibility is the compatibility pack, but
that's for
Office 2003. I did the vanilla standard install.

liz

"Echo S" wrote:
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 11:07 AM Echo S wrote:
No worries -- it was kind of a backup question in case the
diagnostics
didn't work! :)

And I'm really glad to hear they did! When you add the information
about
running diagnostics for your students (referring to your post
elsethread),
you might want to just make it a generic suggestion. What I'm
saying is that
your specific problem with Excel and charts was really unusual, but
running
the Office Diagnostics is a good place to start if PPT starts
acting
strangely in general. Make sense?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


"Elizabeth Swoope" <[email protected]>
wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 2:20 PM ElizabethSwoop wrote:
Echo,

I will make a mental note that any oddball behavior merits running
the
diagnostics and I'll include that in my material. I do like to
include
specific error messages as examples and I'm sure that the students
will
encounter plenty that I won't see. My materials are a constant
work in
progress!

liz

"Echo S" wrote:
On Friday, April 04, 2008 10:23 PM srmc95 wrote:
I know this is an old posting, but the directions saved me from
failing! I am
taking a word processing class online with Office Home and
Student 07. The
diagnostic worked to correct my chart problem in the Processing
program...hurray and thank you!

"Echo S" wrote:
On Saturday, April 05, 2008 10:07 AM Echo S wrote:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 9:31 AM roberto wrote:
hello,

sorry, i know this post is long "after the fact" but i've just
encountered
the same problem - powerpoint 2007 error upon trying to create
chart is "some
chart types cannot be combined with other chart types. Select
a different
chart type." This occurs with creation of a new presentation.
Office 2007
had run without this error previously - it began only recently.

I'm running XP and Office 2007 with all updates . based on the
previous
posts i've tried a number of things.

I've unistalled and reinstalled Office 2007.

I've run "office diagnostics" and no error was found.

I've tried opening excel before opening powerpoint - didn't
fix.

I "checked" all objects under display options for excel
workbook - no change.

I did find a "workaround" - if i create the chart in excel i
can then copy
it to powerpoint and that seems to work (at least so far).

any help would certainly be most appreciated.

thanks

roberto





"Echo S" wrote:
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 9:41 AM Echo S wrote:
Hm. I wonder if your default chart type has gotten changed
somehow.

You might try Insert | Chart, select the first chart in the
dialog box (the
"clustered column"), and click "set as default chart."

Have you applied Service Pack 1 for Office 2007? That would
also be woth a
shot.

Finally, since this began only recently, what's changed? Have
you installed
any add-ins or anything? What antivirus program are you using?

Have you rebooted? (I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it
often resolves
these odd issues. Turn off the computer, go get a cup of
coffee, then come
back and boot 'er back up....)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit
http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


message
news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 10:12 AM roberto wrote:
thanks - think i'm now one step closer (but half a step
backwards).

with your prompting recalled that i had done a "registry
clean" before this
happened. so, restored old registry and problem of "cannot
combine..."
There were "thousands" of registry entries cleaned and a
quick look didn't
reveal one that seemed powerpoint specific, but i certainly
could have missed
it.

now the problem is different - i can add a chart and edit the
data.
However, if i duplicate the slide the data in the copied
chart can no longer
be edited. It's as if the link the the data table has been
lost.

I have applied service back1 (and rebooted so many times that
i'm floating
in a sea of coffee). i use a zone alarm "security suite"
which includes a
firewall and virus/spy program.

thanks again for your help.

roberto

"Echo S" wrote:
On Friday, March 06, 2009 11:16 PM Sean Lam wrote:
Hi, I also have the same problem just that excel is not
involved, they just don't allow me to put in any graph...

Im also using a Toshiba Portege Tablet with Windows XP and
MS Office 2007...

I've ran the diagnostic but it didn't work, they found 1
problem and fixed it but it wasn't the one about the
charts -.-

Anyone with knowledge plz help :D
I have not done things to my com recently... the charts
work in word but once i port it to powerpoint the
powerpoint just crashes -.-
Submitted via EggHeadCafe - Software Developer Portal of
Choice
ASP.NET Providerless Custom Forms Authentication, Roles and
Profile with MongoDb
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorial...ntication-roles-and-profile-with-mongodb.aspx
 
N

Nishant Gupta

Ya it works like magic .. awesome ...
I teach a microcomputer literacy class and I'm working through my existing
materials for Office 2003 using Office 2007 to see what changes I'm going to
have to make.

I'm using PowerPoint 2007. I've created a presentation which currently has
two slides. The second slide is Title and Contents. When I click on the
button to insert a chart, I select Column Chart then OK. I get the following
error message "To insert a chart, you must first close any open dialog boxes
or cancel editing mode in Microsoft Office Excel." then "Some chart types
cannot be combined with other chart types. Select a different chart type."

Excel is not open. I even restarted the computer to clear out the cobwebs
just in case my having opened Excel 2007 earlier was the cause of the
problems, but that didn't help.

There are no dialog boxes open. I'm not trying to combine any types of
charts. I just want to create a simple column chart by typing in data.

(I have both Office 2003 and Office 2007 running on this computer, a Toshiba
tablet running WinXP Pro.)

I was thinking how handy it is to be able to choose one slide type then
click a button for the type of content, rather than having to choose among
several slide types, depending on what content you want to include, but I'm
not thrilled at this error that I can't seem to get around. I must be doing
something stupid and I just don't realize it.

Thanks,

liz
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 9:48 PM Echo S wrote:
Oh, man. I have a vague recollection of this from the beta, but I can't for
the life of me remember what the issue was.

Try opening Excel before clicking the icon. I know that's counterintuitive,
but give it a shot.

Also, what if you use Insert | Chart? Do you get the message then? What if
you open Excel before Insert | Chart?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:[email protected]...
On Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:23 PM Echo S wrote:
Great detective work, Elizabeth. Thanks!

It shouldn't (and doesn't, usually) work this way. But your great detective
work may help us find an answer as to what the problem is.

Could you try running Diagnostics for me? Open PPT and then Office Button |
PPT Options | Resources | Office Diagnostics. With any luck, that will fix
the issue.

Do you have any PowerPoint, Excel, or general Office add-ins installed?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:D[email protected]...
On Wednesday, October 03, 2007 11:07 AM Echo S wrote:
No worries -- it was kind of a backup question in case the diagnostics
didn't work! :)

And I'm really glad to hear they did! When you add the information about
running diagnostics for your students (referring to your post elsethread),
you might want to just make it a generic suggestion. What I'm saying is that
your specific problem with Excel and charts was really unusual, but running
the Office Diagnostics is a good place to start if PPT starts acting
strangely in general. Make sense?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/


message news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, April 05, 2008 10:07 AM Echo S wrote:
Whew! Glad to hear that, for sure!

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


news:[email protected]...
On Saturday, September 20, 2008 9:41 AM Echo S wrote:
Hm. I wonder if your default chart type has gotten changed somehow.

You might try Insert | Chart, select the first chart in the dialog box (the
"clustered column"), and click "set as default chart."

Have you applied Service Pack 1 for Office 2007? That would also be woth a
shot.

Finally, since this began only recently, what's changed? Have you installed
any add-ins or anything? What antivirus program are you using?

Have you rebooted? (I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it often resolves
these odd issues. Turn off the computer, go get a cup of coffee, then come
back and boot 'er back up....)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


news:[email protected]...
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top