TASER VERSION 13 DISK ISSUES FROM STEVE ASHLEY – 10/1/2006
There are three issues that may provide a challenge when using Version 13:
Video Volume
When you insert a video into a PowerPoint slide, the playback volume of the slide
defaults to 1/2 volume. This might make it difficult for some instructors to get
enough volume when showing videos, especially for those videos that already
have a low volume to begin with. The fix:
1. Insert the video into the slide as normal
2. Right-click on the image of the video on the slide, and choose the "Edit
Movie" option
3. There will be a sound icon in the resulting dialog box. Click on the
sound icon, and raise the volume slider to the top, then click on OK
4. Save the PowerPoint file.
This will have to be done for each individual video in the presentation, however if
instructors have saved the data folder to a hard drive, it will only have to be done
once. If not, they'll have to do it every time they use the presentation, since they
can't save changes to the DVD.
Video Auto-Start
The embedded videos are set to start automatically when the instructor advances
the slides. This will probably be a problem for most instructors, as they will
probably want to click on the video in order to start it in order to have more
control. In order to change this:
1. Open the Task Pane in PowerPoint (found on the View Menu), and
select the Custom Animations option
2. Right click on the entry in the animations list that shows a little clock
face (indicating an auto start), and change the setting to "On Click",
which will change the clock face to an image of a computer mouse
3. Save the PowerPoint file.
After saving the file, instructors will then be able to control the start and pausing
of the video by clicking on the video image. Again, they’ll have to make the
change for each individual video.
Running a Video Shows a White Box
This doesn't affect every slide, and may not affect every instructor. Sometimes
when a video is clicked to start it, all you see is a white slide (it’s actually a white
“box” on a white background). This gives the impression that the "link" to the
video is broken, but that's not the case. Here's the issue:

A little known fact about PowerPoint is that there is a 128 character limit for any
hyperlinked file. If a video or any other item linked to a slide has a file location
(on the user’s hard drive) that is longer than 128 characters, this problem occurs.
When the files are on the DVD, the file path is shorter than 128 characters, so all
the videos play. However, when an instructor copies the data folder to their
computer, the path will change, and may grow longer than the limit, depending
on where they save the folder on their hard drive.
This will not be a problem for everyone, and not for every file. However, an
example of the problem occurs when the data directory is saved to the Windows
"Desktop" (in a normal Windows XP installation, the path to the user’s Desktop is
C://Windows/Documents and Settings/Your Name/File Name). There's no way to
be sure which instructors and which files this will affect, so the instructions for
correcting it need to be generic in nature.
Each instructor should, after copying the data folder to their computer, run
through the presentation in Slideshow mode, and check each video. If, when
they click it to play it, a white box appears (or if they have the videos still set to
start automatically when the slide advances, the slide may come up white and
not show the video at all), they will need to do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Go into PowerPoint “edit” mode, and navigate to the problem slide
Right click on the video image, and select the Edit Movie Object option
Note the video's file name
Click on OK to close the Edit Movie Object dialog box
Do this for each problem slide, then
Close PowerPoint
Go into My Computer and navigate to the data folder on your hard
drive, then find the video file
8. Change (Rename) the file name to something shorter. Note your
revised file name
9. After renaming each problem file, restart PowerPoint
10. Go back to the errant slide in PowerPoint edit mode and delete the
embedded video from the slide
11. Go to the Insert Menu, and choose Movies and Sounds, then Movie
from File. Navigate to the revised file name, and double click it to
make the new insertion.
12. During the insertion, PowerPoint will ask whether you want to start the
video automatically, or when it is clicked
13. You may have to resize the video image for optimal viewing.
14. Remember to reset the volume to its loudest setting, as described
above
15. Save the PowerPoint file.
-----------------------Some instructors may see slightly different commands than outlined above; these
steps are for PowerPoint 2003.