Solving MultiMedia problems

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Problems with sounds, movies and other multimedia elements in your PowerPoint presentations are generally due to one of three problems:

• PowerPoint doesn't support the media format you want to use
• The media works ok on your computer but not on other computers
• The media works fine when originally inserted on all computers, but not after the show's moved or distributed

Symptoms of the first two problems:

• Error messages when you try to insert the sound or movie file
• The file won't play correctly, or at all once inserted
• The file won't play on your friend's/mom's/boss' computer

For help with these problems, see The Myers Multimedia FAQ

Also visit The Microsoft Multimedia Troubleshooter where you'll find general troubleshooting suggestions and links to knowledgebase articles that cover everything Microsoft knows about multimedia in PowerPoint, all in one convenient place.

If media stops working when you transfer the show to a different computer or to a different drive or folder on your own computer or network, it's probably because the links to the media files broke. For help understanding and solving link problems, see Links break when I move presentation (and at other times)

Contents © 1995-2008 Stephen Rindsberg, Rindsberg Photography, Inc. and members of the MS PowerPoint MVP team. You may link to this page but any form of unauthorized reproduction of this page's contents is expressly forbidden.

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