Can not save PowerPoint documents anymore under OSX 10.3.3

[Tony]

Help,

I am currently using Mac OSX 10.3.3 with the latest version of
MicroSoft Office
Office v.X. I have applied all of the office updates through 10.1.5.
My computer is
a PowerMac dual 2Ghz with 1.5 gigabyte of ram.

Within the last few days I have not been able to save any PowerPoint
documents. I can open them
and edit them however when I try to save the document I receive the
following message in
a dialog box:

"file is currently in use. PowerPoint cannot modify
it at this time. Wait until the file becomes available."

I am not sure why this is happening. I do not have any other
computers turned on or that have access
to the Mac I am working on. I do have a 2-way cable modem I use to
access the internet.

I have tried all of the usual remedies
1 I have repaired permissions
2 I have rebooted the computer
3 I have uninstalled Office and reinstalled office with all of the
updaters.
4 I have turned off the cable modem and unplugged it from the ethernet
hub

None of these have remedied the problem. I can save Office Word and
Excel documents without
any problems.

Does anyone have any suggestive fixes? Should I reinstall OSX 10.3.3?

Thanks

Tony

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Tony,

How did you uninstall office? Did you use the uninstall utility on the CD?
If not, use that.

But first trash the PowerPoint plist file and the Microsoft folder in the
Preferences folder (with all office applications closed). Empty the trash
(the can still be used from the trash in OSX). Then try PowerPoint again.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

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http://www.mvps.org/

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if your question has already been answered.

 

[mb2k]

Thanks for the info...

I tried all of the above. I also uninstalled using the Microsoft
disk..and, still get the same message in Powerpoint. It only happens
in Powerpoint. I trashed the plist file and the microsoft
folder...but, I still get the message. Could there be another program
running that is affecting this???

Help, please!

MB

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi again,

That's about all that's left that I can think of. You ran diskwarrior. Ran
the office updates. Then repaired permissions.

I have a vague recollection about Pictify. The only other things I can
think of are anti-virus software or maybe Adobe Acrobat. Do you have any
haxies running?

-Jim

 

[Keith Bechard]

I have the same problem - it is a royal pain in the ass. I have discovered
that Save As continues to work, so that I can save the file in a different
spot or with a different name.

I have noticed that it is related to Entourage - many times, but not all, if
I quit Entourage I can save the file. To me, it seems to be related to
whatever does not allow Entourage to switch identities unless all other
Office applications are quit.

Keith

 

[strikeman]

Not sure if this is relevant to PPT but I remember I would get a similar
problem in Word. Turned out it was due to a problem with the template
file, or the symptom of a macro virus.