Vista Tutorial - Powerpoint 2007 and Vista 64

Does anybody know where the executable lives on my HD?

I just did a plain old save in powerpoint which saved my file as a .pptx, and for some reason this file does not associate itself with powerpoint. If I double click the .pptx file I get the "what program do you want to open with this" dialogue. I've tried browsing where it ought to live, and went as far as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\1033 without ever finding the executable. As of now the only way I can actually open these files is by opening powerpoint, then selecting open file, and opening the .pptx program. It's doable but certainly not optimal.

Ideas?

Hi msdunkel,

You are almost there with the path you specified. It is actually 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\POWERPNT.EXE'.
Dwarf

Dwarf,

Thanks for your reply. I've been through the path you listed en route to the final path I've selected, and Vista must be doing something to hide executables from me. When I go to the folder you listed I have the following items:
Folder:
1033
Files:
Mso Example Setup File A
MSOHEVI.DLL
ONFILTER.DLL
VISSHE.DLL

Any idea how I can unhide the executable?

Are you running Vista 64bit? Then your path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\POWERPNT.EXE

I am running Vista 64; however, there is no Microsoft Office folder located under Program Files (x86). When I use powerpoint, I access it through the start menu. When I right clicked powerpoint from the start menu and selected properties, Details tab, the folder path is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Start...

When I double click on the C drive, there is no folder called "ProgramData". Vista appears to be hiding things from me, not sure how to unhide them.

ProgramData is a hidden folder - and for the record, every OS since Windows 95 has hidden files from the end user. This is not new behavior for Vista.

Also, when I looked at my shortcut for PowerPoint, it too points to ProgramData - ***for the shortcut*** but the *program* is ***installed*** in Program Files (x86).

Hi msdunkel,

Click on the start orb and type 'POWERPNT.EXE' into the search box. Right click on the executable and select 'Open file location'. Make a note of the path.
Dwarf

I'm aware that XP had hidden files, but I used to be able to easily unhide them.

Thanks, this worked.

Unfortunately, finding the program did not solve my problem. I now recall that when I first installed the program, I chose to put the OS and C: drive on my 1TB HD -- only so my Xbox 360 media extender could play videos off my computer in my den (the xbox will ONLY look in the c:\users\mike\videos folder for media, you cannot browse which forced me to put the OS on what was supposed to be a media storage drive). The remainder of my applications, I placed on my F: drive which is my high speed Raptor.

Well, now when I try and associate the file with powerpoint, Vista pretty much ignores me. I right click on the file, select "open with" and browse over to the F: drive and can find powerpnt.exe; however, when I double click the program or select open, nothing happens and I'm recycled to the original window that opens when you right click a file and select "open with".

Have you tried a repair installation of Office?