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You receive an error message when you try to open a PowerPoint 4.0 document after you install MS09-017 on PowerPoint 2000 and PowerPoint 2002

Article ID: 970980 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 or Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, you try to open a presentation that uses the Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0 format. However, the presentation does not open, and you receive the following error message:

This file has an older format that isn’t supported.

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CAUSE

Because of security issues with the parsing code that is used to open and to save PowerPoint 4.0 presentations, this security update removes the ability to open these files.

This issue occurs after you install the MS09-017 security update. This security update addressed vulnerabilities in the parsing code that was used to open and save PowerPoint file format types by preventing Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002 from opening PowerPoint 4.0 native file formats.

By default, this behavior is turned on in Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 will not open presentations that have the PowerPoint 4.0 file format. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938810

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938810/ )

Information about certain file types that are blocked after you install Office 2003 Service Pack 3

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RESOLUTION

How to enable blocked file types

Important These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also make the computer or the network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We recommend the process that this article describes to enable programs to operate as they are designed to or to implement specific program capabilities. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this process in your particular environment. If you decide to implement this process, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect the system. We recommend that you use this process only if you really require this process.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To enable PowerPoint 2000 and PowerPoint 2002 to open presentations that have the PowerPoint 4.0 file format, add one of the following registry subkeys:

Client computer:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Office_Version>\PowerPoint\Security\FileOpenBlock

Group Policy:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\<Office_Version>\PowerPoint\Security\FileOpenBlock

These keys have the following values:

Collapse this tableExpand this table

Value	Descriptions
FilesFromPowerPoint95	This key can block any converters that deal with the PowerPoint 95 format. By default, this key will be disabled, and it will not block files.
FilesBeforePowerPoint95	This value can block the PPT 4.0 Export converter and any other converter that deals with formats earlier than PowerPoint 95. By default, this key will be enabled, and it will block opening PowerPoint 4.0 files.
FilesFromNonPowerPointFormats	This key can block any file format that PowerPoint uses to import Harvard Graphics for Windows, version 3.0 files (.ch3; .sh3) and Lotus Freelance for Windows, version 1.0 through 2.1 (.pre) files. By default, this key will be enabled. It will block the user from opening files that are in non-PowerPoint file formats.

These values have the values of disabled or enabled:

Disabled: The value is disabled. That is, file types will be allowed to open as usual if the DWORD value is set to 0 or if the value does not exist.
Enabled: The value is enabled. That is, file types will be blocked from opening if the DWORD value is set to 1 or to any other undefined value.

To enable PowerPoint to open a PowerPoint 4.0 file, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Office_Version>\PowerPoint\Security
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key.
Type FileOpenBlock, and then press ENTER.
Select the following subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Office_Version>\PowerPoint\Security\FileOpenBlock
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
Type FilesBeforePowerPoint95, and then press ENTER.
Select the value FilesBeforePowerPoint95.
On the Edit menu, click Modify.
Type 0, and then press ENTER.
Exit Registry Editor

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

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