PPT97: Unable to Insert a Movie from the Selected File

ID: Q178291

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to insert a movie (a .avi, .qt, .mov, .dat, .mpg, .mpa, .mpv, .enc, .m1v, .mp2, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpm, .au, .snd, .aif, .aiff, or .aifc file) into Microsoft PowerPoint, you may receive one of the following error messages:

MMSYSTEM281 This file could not be played. Check the file name or install a driver that supports this type of file.
or
MMSYSTEM348 This file could not be played. Check the file name or install a driver that supports this type of file.
or
MMSYSTEM296 This file could not be played. Check the file name or install a driver that supports this type of file.
or
PowerPoint couldn't insert a movie from the selected file.
or
Current display mode not suitable for DVD video


CAUSE

This problem may occur when you insert a movie file by pointing to Movies And Sounds on the Insert menu, and then clicking Movie From File.

The problem occurs if you install a third-party party program, such as Apple QuickTime for Windows, that modifies the [mci extensions] section ofthe Win.ini file. The [mci extensions] section determines which driver the movie file format uses. The native media player in PowerPoint 97 must use the MPEGVideo driver, which makes a call to the mciqtz.drv. If this setting has changed, the problem occurs.

NOTE: This problem may also occur if the mciqtz.drv file is missing from your system folder. The mciqtz.drv is a driver for ActiveMovie.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:

  1. On the Windows Start menu, click Run.


  2. In the Open box, type Sysedit to display the System Configuration Editor.


  3. Click the System.ini window, scroll to the [mci] section, and then look for the following lines of information:

    [mci]
    AVIVideo=mciavi.drv
    MPEGVideo=mciqtz.drv

    If any of the lines are missing, type the line as shown.


  4. Click the Win.ini windows, scroll to the [mci extensions] section, and then look for the following lines of information:

    [mci extensions]
    avi=AVIVideo
    qt=MPEGVideo
    mov=MPEGVideo
    dat=MPEGVideo
    mpg=MPEGVideo
    mpa=MPEGVideo
    mpv=MPEGVideo
    enc=MPEGVideo
    m1v=MPEGVideo
    mp2=MPEGVideo
    mpe=MPEGVideo
    mpeg=MPEGVideo
    mpm=MPEGVideo
    au=MPEGVideo
    snd=MPEGVideo
    aif=MPEGVideo
    aiff=MPEGVideo
    aifc=MPEGVideo

    If any of the lines are missing, type the line as shown. If any of the extensions are duplicated, such as avi, mpg, or mov, comment out the duplicate line by placing a semi colon at the begining of the entry, as in the example below:

    mpg=ExmplVideo

    becomes:

    ;mpg=ExmplVideo


  5. Click Save on the File menu, and then close the System Configuration Editor.


  6. Start PowerPoint 97. Point to Movies And Sounds on the Insert menu, and then click Movies From File.


  7. In the Insert Movie dialog box, locate the movie file you want to insert, and then click OK.


If all the references are correct in the System.ini and the Win.ini files, you can insert a movie correctly into PowerPoint 97. By default, the installation of PowerPoint 97 modifies the System.ini and the Win.ini with the previous information.


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows.


MORE INFORMATION

Pre-Condition That Causes the Error Message

To see an example of the problem, prepare your computer. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. On the Windows Start menu, click Run, and then type Sysedit in the Open box to display the System Configuration Editor.


  2. Click the Win.ini windows, go to the [mci extensions] section, and remark the following lines with a semicolon at the beginning of each of the lines:

    [mci extensions]
    ;avi=AVIVideo
    ;qt=MPEGVideo
    ;mov=MPEGVideo
    ;dat=MPEGVideo
    ;mpg=MPEGVideo
    ;mpa=MPEGVideo
    ;mpv=MPEGVideo
    ;enc=MPEGVideo
    ;m1v=MPEGVideo
    ;mp2=MPEGVideo
    ;mpe=MPEGVideo
    ;mpeg=MPEGVideo
    ;mpm=MPEGVideo
    ;au=MPEGVideo
    ;snd=MPEGVideo
    ;aif=MPEGVideo
    ;aiff=MPEGVideo
    ;aifc=MPEGVideo


  3. Save your changes, and close the System Configuration Editor.


Additional query words: MMSYSTEM 296 348 281 ppt97 ppt_97 powerpt qt for win OFF2000 


Keywords          : kb3rdparty kbgraphic kbdta 
Version           : WINDOWS:95,97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 8, 1999