powerpoint

If you have multiple version of PowerPoint installed on your computer, you most likely just experienced this issue (or you are about to). The latest round of updates & patches for Office reset the registry entry for Office, so it reverts to Office 2000 (if installed). What this means is that the quick-launch, when you double click an icon, opens the document in Office 2000. Kind of frustrating, but here is the fairly quick and easy solution:

(1) Close PowerPoint.

(2) Go to START >> RUN >> BROWSE

(3) Go to MY COMPUTER >> C: >> MY PROGRAMS and open the most current version of Office (the one you want quick launches to open)

(4) Inside the Office Folder locate the PowerPoint .exe file (careful NOT to select the PowerPoint Viewer) and click okay.

(5) The Run menu has automatically added the path to PowerPoint, at the end of this information (outside the quote mark) add /REGSERVER

(6) You will get an INSTALL, then a CONFIGURE dialog. When it is done, you are back to the quick launch doing what you expect 🙂

– Troy @ TLC

Perhaps you have some custom picture bullets that you use ongoing. Never fear, there is a fairly easy way to organize your own collection.

(1) Either create your own folder to contain the bullet images or use the Office default folder (see item #1 on 5-8-06 post).

(2) Copy picture bullet images into folder

(3) Open the Clip Organizer (see item 3 on the 5-6-06 post) and go to FILE >> NEW COLLECTION.

(4) Name the collection and click okay.

(5) Select the new collection in the COLLECTION LIST column. Go to FILE >> CLIPS TO ORGANIZER >> ON MY OWN.

(6) Repeat for all images in your personalized collection. Note: You can use the >> CLIPS TO ORGANIZER >> AUTOMATICALLY to search the computer, then select the specific folder to add all new images at one time.

(7) Now when you add Custom Picture Bullets to any presentation, your collection of bullets is available!

-Troy @ TLC

So, maybe like me you find some of the default picture bullets one you will not use… So here is where to go and find the hidden files to remove them.

(1) The first step is to open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that contains the images. Go to C: >> PROGRAM FILES >> MICROSOFT 2003 (or current installed version) >> MEDIA >> OFFICE 11 >> BULLETS (I said the files were hidden).

(2) Now we need to go to the Clip Art Organizer (see May 6 post). In the Clip Organizer go to OFFICE COLLECTIONS >> WEB ELEMENTS >> BULLETS. You will note that any of the default bullets you deleted in step #1 has the yellow, no link, “x”.

(3) You can remove the non-linked icons as described in the May 6 post.

– Troy @ TLC

For virtually every PowerPoint template I design, it includes a custom set of picture bullets. Up until recently I was frustrated with having the old icons still sitting in the Custom Picture Bullets dialog when they no longer existed on my computer. But there is a solution – although it is a bit hidden. Here is how to clean up your PICTURE BULLETS dialog and remove the old and unused!!!

(1) Let’s review how we insert a custom picture bullet. With bulleted text selected, go to FORMAT >> BULLETS AND NUMBERING. On the BULLETED tab click the PICTURE button.

(2) Here you can see a small portion of the custom bullets that were used for previous presentations. The problem is, the source files for these are in the archives, not on the computer. They are completely useless here. Of course the little yellow X seems to be a way to delete them… but it is not. The yellow X tells you there is no item linked to this icon (which is why we want to delete it 🙂 )

(3) To remove these icons go to the Clip Art task pane; INSERT >> PICTURE >> CLIP ART. Click the ORGANIZE CLIPS link at the bottom.

(4) Inside the Microsoft Clip Organizer you need to:
1. Click COLLECTION LIST to view the pane
2. Open MY COLLECTIONS and UNCLASSIFIED CLIPS
3. Click on the unwanted icon
4. Select DELETE from the menu
5. Done! (repeat for as many as needed)

– Troy @ TLC