Powerpoint crash on inserting picture

[Tony]

This crash is widely reported, with many, many Google hits; but I
do NOT find any solutions to the problem. Have I just missed the answer
(s)?
Info: I'm using OS 10.5.1, a recent upgrade--no problems with
previous Mac OS using Powerpoint. I'm still using original Office v.X.
It doesn't matter what kind of picture I try to insert (tiff, jpeg,
etc.) it promptly crashes.

Tony Thompson
Editor, Signature Press
Berkeley, CA

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Tony:

Since you posted to a "Word" exclusive forum, you may well have missed the
answer, yes. Make sure you search the PowerPoint forum (although, I am not
hopeful that you will find a "helpful" answer).

You could try re-applying the latest Office updates. But I suspect your
answer may be that you need to buy a newer version of Office.

Perhaps we should set an expectation: If you upgrade an operating system
made by a different company, to a level that was not even in beta testing
when your product was designed, then you should EXPECT that it will not
work properly.

If you need such an application in your business, then you need to run a
full backup, test all of your applications carefully and fully in the new
environment, and be prepared to roll-back if you encounter problems.

I think we have been remiss in not publicising the above message
sufficiently. I guess that in the past, Mac OS updates have not been so
frequent, and applications have not been so complex, so for the most part,
Mac users have "gotten away with it".

No more. These days: you should NEVER change the operating system until you
have TESTED that all your applications will work on the new one, for
everything you do. That is as important for simple "updates" as it is for
new versions. If you must gamble, gamble on a certainty: test it first

We need to remember that Apple's naming convention for OS X uses a bit of
marketing licence. It is NOT OS 10.5.1 that you have. It's Mac Unix
Version 5.1.0. Each time the middle digit (the one after "OS X.") changes,
you have a complete new operating system. It's not an 'upgrade', it's a new
version of Unix, and often it responds quite differently to requests from
applications. Since a modern application spends about 80 per cent of its
processing time running operating system code, this has rather a large
impact, as you can imagine.

I think many people miss this, but it's very important, as you just
discovered!

Hope this helps

This crash is widely reported, with many, many Google hits; but I
do NOT find any solutions to the problem. Have I just missed the answer
(s)?
Info: I'm using OS 10.5.1, a recent upgrade--no problems with
previous Mac OS using Powerpoint. I'm still using original Office v.X.
It doesn't matter what kind of picture I try to insert (tiff, jpeg,
etc.) it promptly crashes.

Tony Thompson
Editor, Signature Press
Berkeley, CA

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

A few additional points;

Perhaps 10.5.1 is a "recent" update/upgrade for you, but it dates back to
November of 2007. There have been several updates to Leopard since then,
10.5.6 is current. I'd suggest you get the OS X Leopard 10.5.6 Combo Update
from the Apple Downloads site & repair permissions after applying it:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/

You also make no mention of your Office update level - 10.1.9 is where
Office v,X needs to be in order to survive in Leopard.

I believe that if you check the "widely reported" issue a bit more closely
you'll find that they pertain predominantly to Office 2008 during its
initial release. It should have no bearing on prior versions. The problem
was corrected by the release of SP1 (12.1.0).

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Tony]

Perhaps we should set an expectation:  If you upgrade an operating system made by a different company, to a level that was not even in beta testing when your  product was designed, then you should EXPECT that it will not work properly.

Well said, John, and I do understand all this--my wife is a
computer scientist--but matters are not so simple as you suggest. My
wife's Mac Mini is less than a year old, and she also uses MS Office
v.X and runs it on Leopard. Yet she does NOT have the Powerpoint crash
problem I described, and for the moment I'm upgrading an imminent PPT
presentation on her machine, until and unless I can fix whatever is
wrong with mine. The problem is NOT just a Leopard issue.
I realize that OS changes, on whatever platform, can and
usually do play hob with existing applications. This must drive app
developers mad, when a new OS does things differently (and of course
doubtless "better," as computer scientists insist), but as a tool user
myself, it is endlessly frustrating. I have occasionally given in to
the conspiracy view--why not let the app become obsolete? that's how
you sell upgrades most decisively--but I do attempt to remain
rational. Right now is one of those times it's not working too well.

Tony Thompson
Editor, Signature Press

 

[Tony]

Perhaps 10.5.1 is a "recent" update/upgrade for you, but it dates back to November of 2007. There have been several updates to Leopard since then, 10.5.6 is current. I'd suggest you get the OS X Leopard 10.5.6 Combo Update . . .

Good point. I do have 10.5.6, just didn't check to refresh my
memory.

You also make no mention of your Office update level - 10.1.9 is where Office v,X needs to be in order to survive in Leopard.

Even better point. My regular MS updating seems to have fallen
off the chair. I did now obtain this update from the Microsoft site
and Powerpoint now seems to be operating all right . . . Thank you,
Bob. This one may have done the trick.

Tony Thompson
Editor, Signature Press
Berkeley, CA

 

[John McGhie]

Glad you got it fixed! I had a sinking feeling about this one

Cheers

Good point. I do have 10.5.6, just didn't check to refresh my
memory.


Even better point. My regular MS updating seems to have fallen
off the chair. I did now obtain this update from the Microsoft site
and Powerpoint now seems to be operating all right . . . Thank you,
Bob. This one may have done the trick.

Tony Thompson
Editor, Signature Press
Berkeley, CA

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]