The file extension PPT
is a document file
created by Microsoft
Corporation for storing
slideshows and
presentations made in
PowerPoint.
In order to view
slideshows with the file
extension PPT, you must
have compatible software
such as PowerPoint
installed on your
system. There are a few
exceptions to this.
Microsoft offers a free
PowerPoint viewer that
you can download from
the Microsoft Office
website. In addition,
users can create
PowerPoint presentations
that come with a
built-in viewer. These
are executable files
that allow anyone to
view the presentation
regardless of whether or
not they have the
Microsoft Office
products on their
system.
Another way to view .PPT
files without having to
buy PowerPoint or
download a viewer is to
download the Impress
application from
OpenOffice.org. This is
a free presentation
application that is
compatible to
PowerPoint. Not only can
you view the .ppt files,
you will be able to
create your own
slideshows and
presentations with it.
No matter what
application you will be
viewing PPT files with,
sometimes Windows gets
confused and doesn’t
know which application
to launch. When this
happens, it usually
means that there is no
file association set up
for the file extension
PPT. This could mean
that one has never been
set up or that a file
association has been
broken or changed. File
associations get broken
for lots of reasons. It
could be as simple as a
glitch caused by an
unexpected system
shutdowns or power
surges or it could be a
more ominous sign that
malicious programs like
spyware and computer
viruses have been
causing harm.
You can re-establish
lost file associations
easily enough through
Windows Explorer. First,
right-click the file
extension PPT in Windows
Explorer. This will
bring a small menu to
the side. Select "Open
with" from this menu.
Now, search through the
list of programs until
you find PowerPoint,
Impress, or the
PowerPoint viewer.
If you want the selected
program to be the
default program for
opening PPT files, find
the check box towards
the bottom that says,
"Always use the selected
program to open this
type of file" and place
a check mark in the box.
Power surges and
unexpected shutdowns can
also cause damage to a
variety of files
including file extension
PPT. When .PPT files
become damaged, they
generally don’t open and
can even cause the
program such as
PowerPoint or Impress to
crash too. Further
crashes can cause even
more harm. Damaged and
corrupt files create an
endless cycle of
destruction - with each
new crash, even more
file corruption can
occur. Because of this,
if you suspect file
corruption, it’s time
for computer
maintenance. Use the
built-in system tools
found in Windows under
All
Programs/Accessories/System
Tools to clean up your
system. In addition, use
a registry cleaning
utility to clean out the
Windows registry and
repair many of the
causes of file
corruption right where
they start.
Finally, PPT files are
extremely popular and
shared from user to user
all across the Internet.
It’s a good idea to make
sure that you have
current anti-virus and
anti-spyware protection
installed on your
computer. Double check
to see that you have all
of the latest updates,
definitions, and patches
before opening PPT files
from the Internet.
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