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Error message when you view a presentation that has embedded sounds in PowerPoint 2003 or in PowerPoint 2007 on another computer: "Cannot find the specified file"

Article ID:827102
Last Review:March 16, 2007
Revision:2.2
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SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 or in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, you add sounds to a presentation and then view the presentation on another computer. When you do this, the sounds do not play. Additionally, you receive the following error message:
Cannot find the specified file. Make sure the path and file name are correct.
You may also notice that the file size is not as large as you expected.

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CAUSE

This issue occurs when one of the following conditions is true:
The sound file that you added to the presentation is not a .wav file.
The sound file that you added to the presentation is a .wav file. However, the .wav file is too large.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, you can use the Package for CD feature to copy the linked sound files together with the presentation to a folder. To do this, follow these steps:
1.Open the PowerPoint presentation that includes the sound files.
2.In PowerPoint 2003, click File, and then click Package for CD.

In PowerPoint 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, point to Publish, and then click Package for CD.

Note This procedure packages the presentation for either a folder or a CD. By default, linked files and the PowerPoint Viewer are included in the package.
3.In the Package for CD dialog box, click Copy to Folder.

Note On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000, you must copy the files to a folder, and then burn the folder to a CD by using a third-party CD-burning program.
4.In the Copy to Folder dialog box, type the name in the Folder name text box, click OK, and then click Continue.

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WORKAROUND

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

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Method 1: Convert sound files to .wav format

Use a sound program to convert sound files into .wav format.

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Method 2: Increase the size of the .wav file that can be embedded in the presentation file

To do this, follow these steps:
1.In PowerPoint 2003, click Options on the Tools menu.

In PowerPoint 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click PowerPoint Options.
2.In PowerPoint 2003, click the General tab in the Options dialog box.

In PowerPoint 2007, click Advanced in the PowerPoint Options dialog box.
3.In the Link sounds with file size greater than box, click the arrows to increase the minimum size of the sound file that will be automatically linked to the presentation.

The maximum size that you can enter is 50,000 KB. 50,000 KB equals 50 megabytes (MB).
4.Click OK.
5.Delete the sound objects that are currently not working, and then reinsert the sounds in the slides.

The sounds are now embedded, and they will play on any computer.
Notes
You have to reset the play settings for each sound after you reinsert the sound into the original presentation.
This process increases the file size of the presentation by the size of the sound file that is being embedded.
These steps apply only to .wav sound files.

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APPLIES TO
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003

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Keywords: 
kbtshoot kbexpertisebeginner kbsound kbslideshow kberrmsg kbprb KB827102

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