PPT2000: Double-Clicking File Opens Wrong Version of PowerPoint (197930)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
This article was previously published under Q197930

SYMPTOMS

When you double-click a PowerPoint file to open it, a different, older version of PowerPoint starts.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if you have multiple versions of PowerPoint installed on your computer. When you run either PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows, or PowerPoint for Windows 95 version 7.0, it registers itself in the Windows registry and takes ownership of files that have the .ppt extension, and certain system registration entries. This means that if you double-click a file with a .ppt extension, the older version of PowerPoint tries to open the file.

WORKAROUND

If you want to correct this problem, so that the PowerPoint presentation will open in PowerPoint 2000, follow these steps:
  1. On the Start menu, click Run.
  2. Click Browse and locate the PowerPoint executable (Powerpnt.exe). By default, PowerPoint is installed to the following folder: 
          c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office
  3. Once located, add the following switch to the end of the run line:

    /regserver

    For example:

    c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Powerpnt.exe /regserver
  4. Click OK to start PowerPoint.
This process will reregister PowerPoint 2000 to the .ppt extension.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/30/2000
Keywords:kbprb KB197930
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