Open .PPS and .PPT attachments directly from Windows Mail
If you suddenly find yourself unable to open .pps (Microsoft PowerPoint SlideShow) or .ppt (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation) attachments, when you have always been able to before, this tip is for you. When you get the Open/Cancel dialogue box and you choose Open, you get this error: "This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel."
Even though you know that you have Powerpoint Viewer installed, you are forced to save it to your hard drive and only then will it open. The reason you can't open it directly is because the Open command is missing for .PPS or PPT file types.
You can resolve this issue by following the steps below.
For .PPS files (Microsoft Powerpoint Slideshow)
- Click "Start"
- Type "regedit" in the "Start Search" bar.
- Click on "regedit.exe" when you see it pop up above.
- Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11\Show
- Right-click on Show and click Rename
- Type "Open" (without the quotations) to replace "Show"
- If you have Powerpoint Viewer 2007, repeat these same steps for this key as well: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.12\Shell\Show
- Right-click on "Show" and change it to "Open" (without the quotations).
- Close the Registry Editor and you'll find that the changes are immediate.
For .PPT files (Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation)
- Click Start
- Type "regedit" in the "Start Search" bar
- Click on regedit.exe when it pops up above.
- Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.11\Shell\Show
- Right-click on "Show" and click "Rename"
- Type "Open" (without the quotations) to replace "Show"
- If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed, repeat these same steps for this key as well: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.12\shell\Show
- Right-click on "Show" and change it to "Open" (without the quotations).
- Close the registry editor. The changes are immediate
