When I Launch SNAP!™, or Start a Particular Slide Show, the Program Seems to Freeze. What Could Be Causing This and What Can I Do About It?
SNAP automates PowerPoint presentations, and may open the last presentation at startup, if there is a problem or error message of any kind generated by PowerPoint at the time the presentation is opened, SNAP may appear to freeze while waiting for the message or warning dialog to be closed. The problem is that you may not even be aware that the message is waiting if PowerPoint is minimized at the time.
If this ever happens, find PowerPoint, usually minimized on the task bar, and open it. You should see a message of some sort that needs a confirmation. Examples of this include: a password protected presentation, a security warning about ActiveX controls, macros, or possibly VB scripting errors in your presentation. Once confirmed, the dialog should go away and allow SNAP to continue normally.
If you experience this frequently, it may be necessary to open the presentation using PowerPoint (not SNAP), to figure out why the message occurs, and eliminate it if at all possible. For example, you might try setting the ActiveX security level lower (no warnings - not recommended) or install an optional PowerPoint feature, such as spell checking, if that would seem to eliminate the message. Keep in mind that the SNAP trigger is a digitally signed ActiveX control from a trusted source. However, other unrelated controls and macros may still exist in the presentation. If you see the ActiveX security warning associated with a SNAP presentation, you must "enable" ActiveX controls so that SNAP will work properly.
If using PowerPoint 2007, you may not see a message box but rather a message under the toolbar asking to enable ActiveX. You may also want to create a "Trusted Locations" folder using PowerPoint 2007 "Options". This will eliminate most of the security warning messages that may tend to interfere with SNAP operations.
Click here to see more information on setting PowerPoint's security to work with SNAP!
