PPT97: Symbols Appear as Squares After Opening Presentation

ID: Q176296

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you open a PowerPoint 97 presentation on a Windows 95 computer, you see "square" characters rather than symbol characters.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you create the presentation on a computer that is running Windows NT 4.0 and you insert a symbol using the [normal text] option in the Insert Symbol dialog box in PowerPoint. Windows NT 4.0 supports a greater number of special characters than Windows 95. Because Windows 95 cannot correctly display these special characters, it displays squares.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use a symbol from a standard font that is shared by both Windows 95 and Windows NT rather than the [normal text] option. The symbol fonts in the following list are shared between Windows NT and Windows 95:

   Symbol
   MT Extra
   Monotype Sorts
   Wingdings

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Additional query words: OFF97 PPT97 SQUARE RECTANGLE SYMBOL

Keywords          : kbFont 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: November 27, 1998