Article ID: 884175 - Last Review: May 31, 2007 - Revision: 2.1

Media Clip, MIDI Sequence, and Video Clip ActiveX controls will no longer display in the Insert Object list in PowerPoint

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SYMPTOMS

When you open a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, the Media Clip, MIDI Sequence, and Video Clip ActiveX controls do not load, and you may receive the following error message:

Run-time error '429': ActiveX component can't create object.

Additionally, the following objects are no longer available in the Insert Object dialog box:

Media Clip
MIDI Sequence
Video Clip

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This behavior occurs after you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Windows XP SP2 classifies several ActiveX controls as unsafe. This includes the Media Clip, MIDI Sequence, and Video Clip controls.

When you open a presentation that contains ActiveX controls, PowerPoint determines whether the controls can be loaded. PowerPoint will not load the control or make that control available as an object for you to insert on to a slide if Windows XP SP2 has marked the ActiveX control as unsafe.

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WORKAROUND

To play a media clip, such as a sound clip, a video clip, or a MIDI sequence in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007:

On the Insert tab in the Media Clips group, click Movies from file on the Movies menu. Or, click Sounds from file on the Sounds menu.

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 and in earlier versions of PowerPoint:

On the Insert menu, click Movies and Sounds, and then click Movies from file or Sounds from file.

If you click Sounds from file, you can insert a sound or a MIDI sequence. If you click Movies from file, you can insert a video clip.
Locate the media clip, and then click Open.
In PowerPoint 2003 and in PowerPoint 2007:

Click Automatically or When Clicked to determine how to play the media clip throughout the slide show. The When Clicked option lets you start the media clip only when you click it.

In Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 and in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002:

Click Yes or click No to determine how to play the media clip throughout the slide show.
In PowerPoint 2007:

On the Animations tab, click Custom Animation.

In PowerPoint 2003 and in earlier versions of PowerPoint:

On the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.
To set the timing, the effects, the play options, and the display options, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of PowerPoint that you are running.
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PowerPoint 2007
1. In the Custom Animation task pane, right-click the media clip on the list, click Effect Options, and then click the Effects tab.
2. In the Stop playing area, specify the options that you want, and then click OK.
3. Close the Custom Animation task pane.
4. To play a sound or a MIDI sequence across multiple slides, right-click the sound, and then click Options under Sound Tools.
5. Click to select the Loop until stopped check box.
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PowerPoint 2003 and PowerPoint 2002
1. In the Custom Animation task pane, right-click the media clip on the list, click Effect Options, and then click the Effects tab.
2. In the Stop playing area, specify the options that you want, and then click OK.
3. Close the Custom Animation task pane.
4. To play a sound or a MIDI sequence across multiple slides, right-click the sound, and then click Edit Sound Object.
5. Click to select the Loop until stopped check box, and then click OK.
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PowerPoint 2000
1. In the Custom Animation dialog box, click the Timing tab. Make sure that the media object is selected.
2. Click the Multimedia Settings tab, and then click to select the Play using animation order check box.
  
  Note By default, the Pause Slide Show option is selected on the Multimedia Settings tab. This setting stops the presentation when the media clip finishes playing or when the next slide advances. To play a sound or a MIDI sequence across multiple slides, click Continue Slide Show.
3. In the Stop Playing area on the Multimedia Settings tab, click After number_of_slides Slides, and then type the number of slides on which you want the sound file to play before it stops.