Member Avatar for dorzic

mistakenly updated Vista thinking why not..and noticed when I play my powerpoint presentations only 3 out of 5 wmv files play. That was too strange for me and too much work to go through all my presentations.. WHY?
I had to roll back with restore to get the powerpoint movies playing again.
I have Vista Home on a Toshiba laptop.
Is the update buggy?

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Dani AI

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Short expert summary: when an OS update changes the Windows media stack (codecs, DirectShow filters or the Windows Media Player components), PowerPoint 2007 presentations that rely on the system player can stop playing some clips. Reformatting is rarely required. There are a number of targeted checks and fixes that avoid a full reinstall of the machine.

Practical troubleshooting (do these in order):

  • Try each problem WMV outside PowerPoint in Windows Media Player. If they fail there, the issue is system-level (codec/WMP) and not PowerPoint.
  • If they play in WMP but not in the presentation, create a new blank PPT and Insert the same file to see if the original slide is corrupted.
  • Repair Office 2007 from Programs and Features (Change -> Repair). That can restore media handling used by PowerPoint.
  • Update or roll back the video/graphics driver and, if available, disable hardware acceleration temporarily — GPU driver changes can break playback.
  • Avoid broad third‑party codec packs. If system codecs look suspect, re-save the WMVs with a trusted encoder (Windows Movie Maker, VLC) to a standard WMV profile or MP4 and test again.
  • If a recent Windows update appears to be the trigger, uninstall that specific update (Installed Updates) or use System Restore points rather than formatting the PC.

Operational tips for future presentations: keep the PPT and its media in the same folder and use PowerPoint’s packaging/collection feature so links don’t break. Test the presentation on the exact machine you will present on after any system updates.

This builds on the thread: ’s symptoms pointed to a media-stack change, and ’s suggestion to avoid updating is understandable but extreme. Try the targeted steps above first and back up files before removing updates or doing system-wide changes.

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Member Avatar for holmes008

i suggest u to not to udate vista 32 bit and 64 bit also because it currently have some problems.
Is ur vista is pirates?
anyway as u have done it just format ur pc. i think it is the only solution for u ..
thanks....

Member Avatar for dorzic

i suggest u to not to udate vista 32 bit and 64 bit also because it currently have some problems.
Is ur vista is pirates?
anyway as u have done it just format ur pc. i think it is the only solution for u ..
thanks....

No the Vista was installed on the computer when I bought it..
But you did answer my question..not ot update just yet.
Thanks

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