PPT97: Bypassing Startup Dialog Boxes in PowerPoint (189958)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q189958

SUMMARY

When you start PowerPoint, two dialog boxes appear before a blank presentation is opened for you to work in. These dialog boxes are New Presentation and AutoLayout. If you always prefer to begin with the same basic layout and want to bypass the two initial dialog boxes, you can force PowerPoint to load the Default.ppt presentation automatically.

NOTE: If you do this, make Default.ppt read-only so that you don't accidentally overwrite it.

MORE INFORMATION

To have PowerPoint open a blank presentation automatically, follow these steps:
  1. Open a blank presentation in PowerPoint and save the presentation as Blank.pot in the same folder that you find Powerpnt.exe. (Blank.pot is found in the Templates folder initially.)
  2. On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs and then click Windows Explorer.
  3. Right-click the Blank.pot icon, and drag it to the desktop.
  4. When you release the mouse button, a shortcut menu appears. Click Create Shortcut here.
  5. Click this icon when you want to start PowerPoint and have the Blank.pot as the default presentation being the first thing you see.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/9/2000
Keywords:kbinfo kbusage KB189958
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