Here are my recommendations:
How to prepare and distribute Microsoft PowerPoint presentations on a CD-ROM
Use the "Pack and Go" feature of PowerPoint to "package" the presentation, and then unpack it in the burn directory for the CD-ROM .
Place the PowerPoint Viewer installer on the CD-ROM.
When you plan to place a presentation on a CD-ROM for distribution, you need to include a copy of the PowerPoint 97 Viewer with the CD-ROM to allow users that do not have PowerPoint installed on their PCs to view your PowerPoint files.
To obtain the viewer, follow these steps:
- go to the following address in your Web browser: http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/Ppview97.aspx
- Click the hyperlink marked Download Now! (2826 kb)
- Save the file, PPView97.exe, to a folder on your hard disk or onto your desktop.
Using the Viewer from the CD-ROM
Make sure that you place the PPView97.exe file into the same folder as the presentation that you want to burn to a CD-ROM. Include a Readme.txt file with the viewer installation program, that contains the following text:
If you do not have PowerPoint 97 or PowerPoint 2000 on your computer, you must install the PowerPoint viewer to run the presentation(s) on this CD-ROM:
- To install the PowerPoint 97 Viewer from this CD-ROM, locate the file named PPView97.exe.
- Make certain you close any open Windows-based programs.
- Double-click the PPView97.exe file on the CD-ROM to start the Setup program.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. When prompted, make certain all programs are closed and restart your system.
After installing, run the viewer by pointing to Program Files on the Start menu, and clicking Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer. Browse to the CD-ROM, open the file , and then click the presentation. Click Show.
Distribution Rights
You may reproduce and distribute an unlimited number of copies of PowerPoint Viewer 97, provided that each copy is a true and complete copy, including all copyright and trademark notices, that each copy is accompanied by a copy of the End User Licensing Agreement, and that no copy shall be offered for resale.
Compatibility Issues
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-ROM.
How to Use Pack and Go to Prepare Your Presentation
- Open the presentation that you want to pack.
- On the File menu, click Pack and Go.
- 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.
- Click to select the Include linked files check box. At this point, you may decide to embed TrueType fonts with your presentation. Click Next.
- Microsoft recommends that you not include the viewer. Click Next, and then click Finish.
N.B.: 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-ROM.
To do this, follow these steps:
- In Windows Explorer, go to the location of the packed presentation, and then double-click Pngsetup.
- 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-ROM.
N.B.: Microsoft recommends that you test your presentation in an environment that is similar to a CD-ROM. To do this, run the files from a network server or from a drive with removable-storage media before you burn your CD-ROMs, to make sure everything works as planned.
Limitations
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.
- 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.
By
Luigi Canali De Rossi
