You receive an error message when you try to save your work in PowerPoint 2003, Excel 2003, or Word 2003

When you try to save your work in PowerPoint 2003, Excel 2003, or Word 2003, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:

• When you try to save a presentation in PowerPoint, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  There was an error accessing Filename.ppt.
  If you try to close the presentation, and you click No when prompted to save the presentation, you may be prompted to save the presentation again. The presentation is not closed, or you receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  System Error &H80004005 (-2147467259). Unspecified error
  If you try to save a previously saved presentation, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  Filename.ppt is currently in use. PowerPoint can't modify it at this time.
• When you try to save a workbook in Excel, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  System Error &H80004005 (-2147467259). Unspecified error
  If you try again to save the workbook, you may receive the error message two more times, and then you may receive the following error message:
  Document not saved.
  If you try to close the workbook and you click No when you are prompted to save the workbook, you may receive the same error message three times. After you receive the error message three times, the workbook closes.
• When you try to save a document in Word, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
  The disk is full. Free some space on this drive, or save the document on another disk. Try one or more of the following:

  • Close any unneeded documents, programs, and windows.
  • Save the document on another disk.
  If you try to close the document and you click No when you are prompted to save the document, you may receive an error message similar to the following:
  System Error &H80004005 (-2147467259). Unspecified error
  You may receive the error message three times, and then the document is closed.

This problem may occurs if an ActiveMovie control has been added to a Microsoft Visual Basic user form in the PowerPoint presentation, the Excel workbook, or the Word document. These files cannot be saved in the typical format after an ActiveMovie control has been added to a user form.

To work around this issue, use one or more of the following methods.

Method 1: Save Slides to a New PowerPoint Presentation

To preserve any changes to your presentation, follow these steps:

1. In PowerPoint, click Cancel when you are prompted to save the presentation.
2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Microsoft PowerPoint to start a second instance of PowerPoint.
3. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter.
4. Switch to the instance of PowerPoint where your presentation is open.
5. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter.
6. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
7. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
8. Switch to the second instance of PowerPoint.
   
   On the Edit menu, click Paste.
9. Save this new presentation with a new name, and then use Method 2 to close the PowerPoint presentation.

Method 2: Close PowerPoint Presentation Without Saving

1. In PowerPoint, click Cancel when you are prompted to save the presentation.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
3. In the Visual Basic Editor window, select the user form that contains the ActiveMovie control.
4. On the File menu, click Remove UserForm Name, and then click No.
5. On the File menu, click Close and Return to Microsoft PowerPoint.
6. On the File menu, click Exit.
   
   You can now quit PowerPoint.

Method 3: Save Changes to Excel Workbook

1. In Excel, right-click any worksheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets.
2. Right-click any worksheet tab, and then click Move or Copy.
3. In the To book box, point to the arrow, and then click (new book).
4. Click to select the Create a copy check box, and then click OK.
5. On the File menu, click Save.
6. In the Save As dialog box, type a new file name, and then click Save.

Method 4: Save Changes to Word Document

1. In Word, on the Edit menu, click Select All.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
3. On the File menu, click New.
   
   In the New Document task pane, click Blank Document.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
5. On the File menu, click Save.
6. In the Save As dialog box, type a new file name, and then click Save.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

When this problem occurs, you can close the PowerPoint presentation only after you remove the user form.