PPT gone mute - Furstrated advanced user...

[Bas Avel]

For some reason the same PPT that worked yesterday does not utter any sounds
now. (I basically built flashcard-like PPT for my son). NOTE: I am not a
novice user of PPT and it is still the same PPT, same PC, speakers on,
actually when I right lick the sound object and click play I can hear the
sound OK it is just that in presentation mode the PPT is simply MUTED> I am
pretty frustrated because I have done about 8 PPTs like this - very laborious
and none of them work now. NOTE I did not click use without animation button
under presentation settings.. I even reinserted the sound objects still to no
avail. Sound will not play when F5 pressed, Can anybody help, I am pretty
desperate by now…THANKS

 

[Bill Dilworth]

There is a problem with long path names to sound files. You might try
taking one of the presentations and copying it and the sounds into a
directory with a short name (C:\MyPPT) or so. Try re-inserting the sounds
and see if they play now.

 

[Bas Avel]

Thanks for your response Bill.
The path is not more that 6 degrees from the root and moreover the sound
files are very tiny (10-20kb) so they should be embedded and not linked (I
allowed for size file to be greater than 10000kb before it is linked)...the
whole ppt is less than 130kb.

Thanks

 

[John Wilson]

What format are the sound fies?
What version of ppt?
--

john ATSIGN PPTAlchemy.co.uk
Custom vba coding and PPT Makeovers
Free PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials
http://www.pptalchemy.co.uk/powerpoint_hints_and_tips_tutorials.html

 

[Bas Avel]

MS PowerPoint 2003 professional edition.
The audio files are in wma (I used basic Windows Sound recorder to make them)
I want to emphasize, that everything worked fine (including sound) until
about 3-4 days ago. Now, none of my "sound equipped" PowerPoint works.

 

[Bas Avel]

I meant 6 levels; the path is, depending on the file name, not more than
60-70 characters including slashes and spaces. Again I thought PPT embeds
audio files if they are that tiny (~15-25kb -I even increased the limit in
Tools/options/general to 10mb afterwards) and previously everything worked
perfectly. The only thing that I’ve done to my PC in-between was that I
installed McAfee Security center, which I think is unrelated to this problem.
Thanks

 

[Bill Dilworth]

The sound filename length had the highest probability of being the solution.

So, let's back up and do some more basic trouble shooting...

Are the sounds able to be played outside of PowerPoint?
Save the PPT file as an html -> locate the sound file within the
html folder and try to play it.

Have you changed ANYTHING on the system. Meaning installed or
uninstalled
any sound programs, codec's, drivers, equipment?

Was the PPT file saved on a CD/DVD, USB drive, network, or on the local
hard disk?

Bill

 

[Echo S]

PPT only embeds WAV sounds. All other sound files (including WMA) are
linked.

 

[Bas Avel]

Oh, I did not know it was only WAVs - what a bummer for those who need to
share -not my case anyways....

I tried to check whether the links work - in Normal View I right-clicked on
the yellow speaker icon on the slide and clicked play sound and it did play
sound properly (I could hear it) and I cheeked every single slide like that -
so the address path should be correct. Nevertheless I have not moved the PPT
nor audio files. I also checked - right click/edit sound object/Play options
that it was not muted and it indeed was not

Disabling McAffee did not help either….

Still puzzled...


Thanks you all


Still puzzled...


Thanks

 

[Bill Dilworth]

Did you ...
.... inadvertently delete the animation to start the sound file
... select the option in the slideshow setup to show the ppt without
animations (thereby disabling the starting cue for the sounds)

Bill

 

[Echo S]

Someone emailed me recently with an issue where their sound files would work
a few times, then they wouldn't. Turns out they'd inserted the sounds from
the clip gallery, which had pulled up online sound clips, so they were being
stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder, and that's where the links
pointed. When the TIF was emptied (probably when closing IE, I'm guessing),
poof ! there went the sounds.

Is it remotely possible something like that's happening here.

 

[Austin Myers]

Have you installed or allowed a web site to install any multimedia related
items lately?



Austin Myers
AT&W Technologies

Creators of PowerPoint add-ins

 

[Austin Myers]

Oh, I did not know it was only WAVs - what a bummer for those who need to
share -not my case anyways....

I tried to check whether the links work - in Normal View I right-clicked
on
the yellow speaker icon on the slide and clicked play sound and it did
play
sound properly (I could hear it) and I cheeked every single slide like
that -
so the address path should be correct.

I know this sounds weird, but playing the file while in Edit mode is not the
same as when playing in Show mode. The code is different (I wish I knew in
what way!) and it is in Show mode you will run into the long path/filename
issue. I would suggest doing as others have said, move it all to a folder
with a short path (Example: C:\test). All meaning the presentation and the
audio files. Once done, delete the audio files from the presentation
completely and then reinsert them from the new location. Does that solve
the issue?


Austin Myers
AT&W Technologies

Creators of PowerPoint add-ins

 

[Bas Avel]

Bill,

I did not have animations set up, nor slide transition yet it worked
aslo I have not disabled animations = I guess you are talking about Slide
Show/Set up Show-Show options

Also Ireinserted the soudn files again 9from my hard drive0 in case the path
could be the culprit afterall yet to no avail...

 

[Bas Avel]

NO I inserted (and re inserted today again just to doublecheck) the file from
my HDD, so no nothing like that happening here...
Thanks for the effort though

Someone emailed me recently with an issue where their sound files would work
a few times, then they wouldn't. Turns out they'd inserted the sounds from
the clip gallery, which had pulled up online sound clips, so they were being
stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder, and that's where the links
pointed. When the TIF was emptied (probably when closing IE, I'm guessing),
poof ! there went the sounds.

Is it remotely possible something like that's happening here.

--
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

Did you ...
.... inadvertently delete the animation to start the sound file
... select the option in the slideshow setup to show the ppt without
animations (thereby disabling the starting cue for the sounds)

Bill

 

[Bas Avel]

I did exactly as you advised move the presentation as well as the wma files
right into C:/ also reinserted the sound object one by one.
Unfortunately it did not help.

However, I made an interesting observation today. As I was previewing (F5)
the presentation - it was still mute -the java update pop up suddenly came on
and during the brief period (1-2 slides - the presentation is on auto play
with two sec delay). During that brief Java update prompt I actually heard
one-two slides having audio working. The moment I dismissed the update, the
PPT went back to mute, afterwards I actually updated the Java but that had no
bearing on mutiny of PPT.

So go figure....I am pretty clueless by now.

 

[Bas Avel]

I do not think so, only McAfee Security.....as mentioned above, but disabling
it did not help.