A blank window appears in a PowerPoint Web presentation in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (878463)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (SP2)

SYMPTOMS

When you open a local Web presentation that was created by using Microsoft PowerPoint, you receive the following message in the Microsoft Internet Explorer Information bar:To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options.If you try to continue, you receive this message again. For example, you click the Information bar, you click Allow Blocked Content, you click OK to continue, and then you click Slide Show. At this point, the message appears again. If you click the X button in the upper-right corner of the window, a blank window that has no menu bar opens. If you press the ESC key, the blank window does not close.

This behavior may occur if the Web presentation was created by using one of the following versions of Microsoft PowerPoint:
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the Local Machine Zone Lockdown feature is enabled. By default, Internet Explorer uses the Local Machine Zone Lockdown feature when you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you click the X button to close the window when you receive the message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section, the local PowerPoint presentation is restricted from showing active content. Therefore, the ESC key does not close the window.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, press ALT+F4 to close the blank window.

To avoid this behavior, run the PowerPoint Web presentation from a remote shared location instead of running the presentation from a local folder.

MORE INFORMATION

If you want to view the local PowerPoint Web presentation as a slide show in full-screen mode, click Slide Show, and then follow these steps:
  1. Click the Information bar.
  2. Click Allow Blocked Content.
  3. Click OK when you are prompted if you want to continue.
For more information about the Local Machine Zone Lockdown feature and other changes in functionality in Windows XP SP2, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2brows.mspx

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/24/2005
Keywords:kbBrowse kbDownload kbbrowsing kbPerformance kbConsumer kbConfig kbtshoot kbprb KB878463 kbAudEndUser
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