PowerPoint crashes after installation of Snow Leopard

[Pag00]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi
I was going thru older posts but did not come across anything that could be of help. My problem is following: I used to have PowerPoint 2008 12.2.1 when I upgraded the system to Snow Leopard and suddenly when attempting to open any files - no matter if that were ppt or pptx files - the soft crashes immediately. That is it shows the progress of opening the file, there is a glimpse of the first slide and the program collapses . Repeatedly. I would gladly skip reinstalling the entire office - since that invokes a lengthy process of gradual updates etc.
Is there any way to handle the situation ? BTW I have cleared the plist file from powerpoint...
Please Help - I am becoming desperate...

 

[CyberTaz]

You may be a victim of Snow Leopard's tendency to take minor issues that
existed before the upgrade & inflate them into disaster status Try this
first: Quit all Programs, shut down [not Restart] the Mac & wait 1-2 minutes
before powering up. After startup run Disk Utility - Repair Disk
Permissions, then see if the programs will launch.

If not, launch Apple's Font Book app & run the Resolve Duplicates & Validate
Fonts routines. (If you're not familiar with the program it's in the
Applications folder & directions can be found in its Help menu after
launching.) then go to: User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008 &
delete the file named: Office Font Cache (12). Empty the Trash, Restart &
see how that goes. Let us know how you make out.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[michael_carr]

You may be a victim of Snow Leopard's tendency to take minor issues that

existed before the upgrade & inflate them into disaster status

Seriously? :- I can send you a list of all of my complaints about the problems I have with the entire Office 2008 Suite. And don't even get me started with 2007 for Windows. As a veteran presentations specialist working for an ad agency, I work extensively in both Microsoft and Adobe, and I can't give out any awards to either. And this is before Snow Leopard. I don't even have time to deal with the issues that I have before upgrading to SL. In fact, I'm in the office at 8:00 p.m., hours after finishing a deadline that required working 100-plus hours for the past nine days because the print-PDF function isn't printing multiple worksheets even though the dialogue box is telling me it's going to do so. Not only is my productivity constantly impaired, it is a situation compounded by the fact that I have to retain Office 2004 for an indeterminate period and constantly switch back and forth to cobble together Word and PowerPoint documents. I have been doing this work professionally for years, and I neither believe that these programs are actually designed with "real" end users, nor that Microsoft has my back. Microsoft's default response is that the problem lies with the user and/or their machine, and that they must pay for expensive support options.

This forum is at least a start.

 

[Jeff_Chapman]

This forum is at least a start.

Peer-to-peer support has always been one of the strengths of the internet, and I for one am glad that Microsoft has provided this forum, the issues with the interface and platform aside. Sometimes questions don't get answered, but many do.

Software as open-ended and complex as the Office suite, which is designed to meet the needs of a stunning variety of users against a constantly evolving and shifting technical framework (the OS platform, server-side applications and services such as Exchange, data and file formats, and hardware that changes and evolves on a yearly basis) has grown beyond the ability of most manufacturers to effectively provide support on a timely and satisfactory basis. I haven't run across too many applications that are robustly supported by the company that developed them. I'd like to be able to just shoot an email or a quick message to Microsoft when I find an apparent bug and then get a reply a few hours later, but sadly Microsoft is far away from this level of support. At some point in time, users have to fill the gap by sharing what they have learned. That's reality.

There's an expression in Japanese, "Isogaba maware", which means "if you're in a hurry, take the long way around". Most of us who use the Office suite - whatever the version and platform - are up against some kinds of project deadlines or constraints. Students have deadlines, educators have deadlines, and project developers in the corporate world have deadlines. Against these deadlines, we have tools to marshal and improve our productivity... so-called "office productivity" suites. Most software manufacturers are quite pleased to publicize the potential gains in productivity, as Adobe is blatantly trying to do with their Creative Suite 4, for instance. But the fact of the matter is that our tools never work in isolation. Printers require printer drivers, which require operating systems and lines of code and protocols to make them operate. There are so many factors, I often find it amazing that things run as well as they do.

Through previous experience, I've learned that it's a good thing to avoid upgrading major software or hardware components in an already-working system until there is sufficient real-world evidence (user reports, bug fixes and updates released by the manufacturer and so on) that the upgrade will not create more problems than it solves. But this doesn't stop me from testing things out and being curious. I really, really want things to work together, but they often don't. When they don't, I'm forced to improvise, or take a low-tech approach. Not all of the solutions to technology involve technology.

When I bought my used MacBook a few years ago, I could have stuck with Tiger as it was pre-installed and still been quite satisfied. But my curiosity got the best of me. Installing Leopard brought other issues, which subsequently each required their own fixes. And so it goes.

I guess there is no single and good answer for dealing with technology and hair-pulling, nerve-wracking issues, aside from just taking the long way around, or else defining what you really, really need at the very beginning and then sticking with the bare minimum, until you're nearly 100% sure that there is a better solution that will work with what you already have. It's a fine line we tread, really, between us and the technology we create.

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

If they ever publish the Computer Bible, you've already written Genesis for them.

Nicely done, Jeff.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Michael;

Seriously?

Yes, quite seriously - but Snow Leopard isn't totally to blame. If you rip
the operating system out from under any body of software & shove in a new
one in place of it there will be issues to resolve. Anything that wasn't
*perfectly* maintained under the previous OS has no prayer of being properly
translated & accurately integrated into the new OS. Which dovetails into...

Microsoft's default response is that the problem lies with the user and/or
their machine

"Default response"? I don't think so, although I'd be willing to agree with
"Most common response", perhaps... But it most certainly is not just from
Microsoft and in the final analysis it's typically an accurate response. In
the years I've been participating in these groups as well as 20+ years of
supporting & training users on a professional level I can assure you that
"user error" is far & away the most common cause of problems.

That includes the failure of the user to learn how to maintain their system,
and the more 'automatic' the developers make the equipment/OS/software, the
more the user comes to rely on the presumption that it is (or should be)
maintenance-free. There's an expectation that they should be able to do
literally anything they wish in any way they want & that everything should
"just work". Well, try getting 25,000 problem-free miles out of your
automobile without changing the oil, rotating the tires or replacing the air
filter & see how well it "just works".

I appreciate your point about demands on our time. We're all in the same
boat in that regard -- That's why we have mechanics, doctors, dentists,
lawyers, gardeners & others to service the needs which we haven't the
expertise handle nor the time or inclination to learn those skills. How many
computer users do you know who can tell you the name of their computer
technician?

And as for;

the print-PDF function isn't printing multiple worksheets even though the
dialogue box is telling me it's going to do so

You might as well add Apple to your list of developers to whom you won't be
giving an award. They supply the print to PDF routines as well as the
dialogue in which it's presented. None of your applications do any printing,
they simply call for the service from the OS. What happens after you issue
the print command is up to the OS, the printer & its driver software.

I'm sincerely sorry to hear of your difficulties but I'm almost equally
certain that a great deal of whatever those issues are they could have been
avoided or readily resolved. As to the matter of the worksheet PDFs for
example: Individual sheets in a workbook are essentially separate documents
stored within the same file -- they are not a continuous flow of information
& the simple PDF generator supplied with OS X doesn't have the ability to
distinguish between "end of sheet" & "end of file". However, once the
separate PDFs are created they can be easily combined into a single PDF by
dragging them into Preview's drawer & saving the file. There are also
several [free] utilities available to 'stitch' multiple PDFs together. It
honestly shouldn't take 100 minutes, let alone 100 hours.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Jeff_Chapman]

Hey Steve,

If they ever publish the Computer Bible, you've already written Genesis for them.
Nicely done, Jeff.

Next is Exodus.
(Why do I get the feeling that I've just been entrusted with a heavy load from the higher power(s) that be? ;-) )

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Hey Steve,


Next is Exodus.
(Why do I get the feeling that I've just been entrusted with a heavy load from the higher power(s) that be? ;-) )

Higher Power(s)? Not ME.

Can we skip the begats though? Kinda like a junior accountant with APK Syndrome giving his first presentation to
the board of directors, don't you think?

 

[Jeff_Chapman]

Can we skip the begats though?

Oh, don't worry - I will translate the Exodus of PowerPoint into modern language... :-D

Sacred texts (?) aside, I'm always amazed at your continued interest in the Mac PowerPoint forums. Aren't you a Windows-kinda-guy? Not that we don't welcome your company... I remember you on these forums from way back when I was using PowerPoint 2000 for Windows.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Oh, don't worry - I will translate the Exodus of PowerPoint into modern language... :-D

Good News for Modern PowerPointers!

Sacred texts (?) aside, I'm always amazed at your continued interest in the Mac PowerPoint

forums. Aren't you a Windows-kinda-guy?

Mostly yes. But I used to (until 2008) do a little add-in/macro development for Mac clients
also, and once 2011 comes along, might get back into it. Besides, it's fun to tweak and be
tweaked by Jim 'n Bob.
I was using PowerPoint 2000 for Windows.

ISTR running into you on Compuserve, old-timer. Wasn't there some kind of Japanese language
forum there? Ah. FLEFO, wasn't it?

 

[Jeff_Chapman]

Mostly yes. But I used to (until 2008) do a little add-in/macro development for Mac clients

also, and once 2011 comes along, might get back into it.

Yeah, the [temporary] removal of VBA from the Mac version probably threw a wrench in the works on that one, I imagine. Well, there's still the AppleScript route to automate PowerPoint. I rarely see any interest in AppleScript on this forum, actually. It seems even easier to delve into than VBA. The most troublesome thing as with any programming language is learning the object model specific for the application you're working with. Microsoft has released some documentation, but I wonder what the interest level is out there on that. My impression is that there was a lot of jaw-dropping when the discovery/announcement was made that VBA wouldn't ship with Office 2008, and there was a lot of screaming bloody murder about compatibility but very little talk of migrating to AppleScript as it were.

ISTR running into you on Compuserve, old-timer. Wasn't there some kind of Japanese language
forum there? Ah. FLEFO, wasn't it?

Nah, never used FLEFO to my knowledge. I got started with the forums back with the NNTP newsgroups in 2000. Not sure when Microsoft started with their NNTP server. Even now the NNTP is still running, but it seems to have a bit of a time lag compared to the web service for Office for Mac forums anyway. I was involved in the Japanese PPT forum for a little while, but at that time the interest level was so much lower than it is now.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Mostly yes. But I used to (until 2008) do a little add-in/macro development for Mac clients
also, and once 2011 comes along, might get back into it.

Yeah, the [temporary] removal of VBA from the Mac version probably threw a wrench in

the works on that one, I imagine.

Probability = 100%.
interest in AppleScript on this forum, actually. It seems even easier to delve into than
VBA.

Yes and no. You also hit walls with it a bit sooner. I did a bit to help Paul Berkowitz
write what's probably still the bible (ah, back to THAT again, are we?) on AppleScripting
Office apps from the POV of VBA users. He did a really super job of it for MacTech
magazine (it's still available on their web site). But there were some real limitations
that made some things quite difficult, if not impossible to do. And of course, if you
want a handy button on a toolbar to fire off some automation from within PPT, you're just
out of luck with AppleScript.
model specific for the application you're working with. Microsoft has released some
documentation, but I wonder what the interest level is out there on that. My impression
is that there was a lot of jaw-dropping when the discovery/announcement was made that VBA
wouldn't ship with Office 2008, and there was a lot of screaming bloody murder about
compatibility but very little talk of migrating to AppleScript as it were.

I suppose because its' not a very smooth path. Some developers just told clients that
they'd have to run PPT Windows under Fusion or whatever if they insisted on updating to
the latest/greatest.

Nah, never used FLEFO to my knowledge. I got started with the forums back with the NNTP

newsgroups in 2000. Not sure when Microsoft started with their NNTP server. Even now the
NNTP is still running, but it seems to have a bit of a time lag compared to the web
service for Office for Mac forums anyway. I was involved in the Japanese PPT forum for a
little while, but at that time the interest level was so much lower than it is now.

Sounds like fun, but my listening comprehension is ma-ma, reading nuh-uh. JLPT 4 ... I'm
licensed by the Japanese Government to communicate with first-graders. If they speak
slowly and clearly. ;-)

 

[michael_carr]

Thanks, Bob. You really should have let Mr. Chapman speak for you, as he did so much more eloquently and diplomatically. I feel completely vindicated as nearly your entire post proved my point: Microsoft still insists on shooting the messenger under the bus regardless of experience and skill level.

As I mentioned, I am a *veteran* user. I'm assembling complex presentations for (please visualize this very slowly in order to understand it) an... advertising... agency. I've been using Microsoft Word since 1986, when I developed sophisticated merge documents for the legal, insurance, and real estate industries. I've been fluent on both the Mac and Windows platforms since 1988 in publishing and creative, working cross-platform with Office, Quark, Adobe, and FileMaker Pro. I added PowerPoint to this in 1999 when I went to work for an entertainment branding and design firm. So, the last thing I need to read on a Friday morning is a passing wind of dismissive condescension that you're "certain" that my issues could have been avoided based on "presumptions" and "maintenance."

So, throw down the weapon and back up the bus.

A. My equipment and software are fairly current and top-level for what I do. (Mac Pro 3.1 2.8 GHz Quad Core Intel)
B. The IT department regularly wipes my machine once per year. I also get a new machine about every 12 to 18 months. I usually go through the hassle of rebuilding all of my Microsoft toolbars to accommodate the needs I've determined to expedite my workflow, so I'm not corrupting my new system with old preferences.
C. My personal MacBook Pro laptop sits on my desk. I'll be installing Snow Leopard on it next week so I can start testing for issues that may arise during work.
D. My work week was 100 hours. I spent about an hour on the PDF issue because... I... am... busy... and... I... need... an... automated... function that documentation provided by Microsoft and Adobe tells me I can have. So, while the work-around is great advice for your grandmother's Christmas budget, it's quite useless when I have to generate numerous PDFs from Excel for "bedazzling" in Illustrator and for preparing to drop into an InDesign book.

I've already begun compiling a list of "issues" that I have with your sloppy software that have nothing to do with "user error."

Oh, and please remember that I'm the person who has to apologize for Microsoft and defend it to my co-workers and clients, like one would an obnoxious or even felonious spouse from an arranged marriage.

Have a nice weekend. :-\

 

[Pag00]

Bob
Thanks a lot ! You saved my life - and the weekend ))

My best regards

Piotr

You may be a victim of Snow Leopard's tendency to take minor issues that
existed before the upgrade & inflate them into disaster status Try this
first: Quit all Programs, shut down [not Restart] the Mac & wait 1-2 minutes
before powering up. After startup run Disk Utility - Repair Disk
Permissions, then see if the programs will launch.

If not, launch Apple's Font Book app & run the Resolve Duplicates & Validate
Fonts routines. (If you're not familiar with the program it's in the
Applications folder & directions can be found in its Help menu after
launching.) then go to: User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008 &
delete the file named: Office Font Cache (12). Empty the Trash, Restart &
see how that goes. Let us know how you make out.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi
I was going thru older posts but did not come across anything that could be of
help. My problem is following: I used to have PowerPoint 2008 12.2.1 when I
upgraded the system to Snow Leopard and suddenly when attempting to open any
files - no matter if that were ppt or pptx files - the soft crashes
immediately. That is it shows the progress of opening the file, there is a
glimpse of the first slide and the program collapses . Repeatedly. I would
gladly skip reinstalling the entire office - since that invokes a lengthy
process of gradual updates etc.
Is there any way to handle the situation ? BTW I have cleared the plist file
from powerpoint...
Please Help - I am becoming desperate...

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Bob. You really should have let Mr. Chapman speak for you, as he did so

much more eloquently and diplomatically. I feel completely vindicated as nearly
your entire post proved my point: Microsoft still insists on shooting the
messenger under the bus regardless of experience and skill level.

Just so you understand, Bob doesn't work for Microsoft. This is a peer-to-peer
support venue. Whatever his post may have proved, it wasn't anything to do with
Microft's official response.

I've already begun compiling a list of "issues" that I have with your

Microsoft's. Not Bob's.

Oh, and please remember that I'm the person who has to apologize for Microsoft

and defend it to my co-workers and clients, like one would an obnoxious or even
felonious spouse from an arranged marriage.

And we're all in the same boat, trying to help one another here.

 

[michael_carr]

Steve: Thanks for leveling my head here... your points are observed, taken, and catalogued for future reference. It's been a long, long week... and I very much appreciate you and Jeff keeping me grounded.

 

[Jeff_Chapman]

Michael,

Thanks for your comments and a little more information about your background.

I think the point of this whole forum is to help each other to find solutions, and most of all to cope with our expectations towards the software and hardware platforms we work with. It would be nice to have Microsoft support staff in here on a regular basis from time to time, and to see that they are using the feedback from the forums to contribute to building a better product. I've complained to Microsoft about the lack of transparency in the development and customer support process in that department before with some practical suggestions. As consumers, that's about the best we can do - either complain and hope for change, put up with it, or refuse to purchase again. Peer-to-peer forums give us a fourth choice: work with others to get our problems solved and to help solve theirs.

Like you mentioned, many users have restrictions placed upon our software and hardware environments by our IT departments (for corporate users), and very few people have the luxury of choosing the exact configuration they want to work with. I'd hate having to set everything up every 12 months again just because the IT department asked me to. (Although I do like the feeling of a fresh install...)

It sounds like you're already a veteran user - we could use your experience here in helping people to find solutions to their problems with PowerPoint.

....And while we're at it, perhaps we can help provide some suggestions to cut your 100-hour work week down to, say 40 or 50 while we're at it There's no golden pot at the end of the rainbow for many technology problems, but there might be some shortcuts.

Warm regards,

Jeff

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Steve: Thanks for leveling my head here... your points are observed, taken, and catalogued for future reference. It's been a long, long week... and I very much appreciate you and Jeff keeping me grounded.

Any time ... and thanks for taking it in the spirit that sent it.

I've had those weeks and understand the utter frustration all too well.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I've complained to Microsoft about the lack of transparency in the
development and customer support process in that department before with
some practical suggestions. As consumers, that's about the best we can do
- either complain and hope for change, put up with it, or refuse to
purchase again. Peer-to-peer forums give us a fourth choice: work with
others to get our problems solved and to help solve theirs.

And take it as written that reproducible problems aired here generally
make it to MS ears one way or another.