PPT97: Unable to Open PowerPoint 98 Files in PowerPoint 97 If Sent by E-mail

In PowerPoint 97 for Windows, when you try to open a PowerPoint 98 presentation that was sent via e-mail, or when you double-click the file icon in the mail message, PowerPoint 97 is unable to open the file.

This occurs when the PowerPoint 98 presentation does not have either the .ppt or .pps extension appended to its file name. Microsoft Windows can only associate files with programs by using the three-letter extensions. Without these extensions, Windows does not know which program can read or modify the file.

When you save your file, add the .ppt file name extension for a standard presentation, or the .pps extension for a PowerPoint show. You can also rename the existing file to have the appropriate three-letter extension.