How to prepare and to distribute presentations on a CD-ROM in PowerPoint 97 and in PowerPoint 2000

This article contains tips about how to prepare and distribute Microsoft PowerPoint presentations on a CD-ROM.

NOTE: Before you prepare a presentation for CD-ROM distribution, you must first understand the following limitations and procedures.

Limitations

• PowerPoint does not support the creation of self-running presentations.
• If you include multimedia with your presentation, PowerPoint does not support cross-platform or multiple-computer compatibility.
• If you intend to use PowerPoint Viewer 97, you cannot include macros or ActiveX controls and components.
• Microsoft recommends that you embed your picture files instead of linking to them.
  
  For more information about this issue, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  238192  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/238192/EN-US/ ) PPT2000: Linked Pictures Lost When Unpacking Presentation
• If you plan to use the PowerPoint Viewer, it must be installed manually before you view the presentation. There is no method to automate this installation.

Procedures

• Using Pack and Go to "package" the presentation, and then unpacking it in the burn directory for the CD-ROM
• Placing the viewer installer on the CD-ROM
• Creating a playlist from which to run a series of presentations

The Most Important Tip: Know Your Audience

When you are creating your presentation for distribution, keep in mind not only the people who will be seeing it, but the capabilities of their computers and software.

Do they have PowerPoint 2000, PowerPoint 97, or earlier versions of PowerPoint?

• If your audience has PowerPoint 2000 or PowerPoint 97, you do not need to include the viewer. If they have earlier versions, or do not have PowerPoint at all, include the PowerPoint Viewer 97 installer on your CD.

Does their computer have the same multimedia capabilities that your computer has?

• Remember, your computer may have greater multimedia capabilities than those of your target audience. If you include the latest in audio and video compression schemes, only a select few may be able to view your presentation. Sometimes, the best choice for multimedia presentations is to use the lowest common denominator: use the Cinepack Codec for Audio-Video Interleaved files (AVIs) or MOVs, and use either the IMA ADPCM or PCM audio codec schemes, or do not compress your wave (.wav) files.
  
  If some of your audience uses Macintosh computers, then only embedded sounds function correctly. AVIs and MOVs, while playable on the Macintosh, cannot be directly inserted into your presentation.
  
  For more information about this topic, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  198202  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/198202/EN-US/ ) PPT2000: Message When You Try to Play Movie in Slide View: QuickTime and a Video Decompressor Are Needed
  
  188910  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188910/EN-US/ ) MacPPT: Error Message When You Double-Click a Movie in Slide View

Do you plan to use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros to supplement your presentations?

• If so, your audience must have Microsoft PowerPoint 97 or later. When you write your macros, use PowerPoint 97 or test your macros on a computer that has PowerPoint 97 installed, to make sure that your macros work correctly. If you want to be completely thorough, also test the macros on PowerPoint for the Macintosh.

Do you plan to use ActiveX controls to supplement your presentations?

• ActiveX controls can be tricky.
  
  First, you must use the PowerPoint program to run the controls.
  
  Second, although PowerPoint can use many of the same ActiveX controls that Microsoft Internet Explorer can use, your audience may not have the same ActiveX controls installed on their computers.
  
  Finally, ActiveX controls only work under Microsoft Windows. They do not work with the Macintosh versions of PowerPoint.
  
  Unless you know for certain what ActiveX controls your potential audience has, or unless you can provide an installation point for the controls from your CD, do not use ActiveX controls.

How to Use Pack and Go to Prepare Your Presentation

1. Open the presentation that you want to pack.
2. On the File menu, click Pack and Go.
3. Follow the instructions in the Pack and Go Wizard.
   
   When you are prompted for what drive to copy to, click Select destination and locate a temporary file location. This is where you pack your presentation and its associated files. Click Next.
4. Click to select the Include linked files check box. At this point, you may decide to embed TrueType fonts with your presentation. Click Next.
5. Microsoft recommends that you not include the viewer. Click Next, and then click Finish.

When PowerPoint packs your presentation, it collects all of the components that are part of the presentation and changes links to point to the same directory that the presentation is in. This reduces one of the major issues with moving presentations from one computer to another: lost files.

How to Unpack a Presentation

After you create the Pack and Go file, unpack to the folder from which you are going to burn the CD. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Windows Explorer, go to the location of the packed presentation, and then double-click Pngsetup.
2. Type the location of the burn folder to which you want to copy the presentation.

After you unpack to this folder, you can use this folder to create your CD. However, Microsoft recommends that you test your presentation in an environment that is similar to a CD. To do this, run the files from a network server or from a drive with removable-storage media before you burn your CDs, to make sure everything works as planned. Please see the user manual for your CD-ROM burner for the actual procedures to create a CD.