Microsoft KB Archive/69503

Network Installation of PowerPoint for Windows PSS ID Number: Q69503 Article last modified on 10-29-1991 PSS database name: W_PowerPt

2.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

PowerPoint for Windows can run correctly in most network environments. It has been tested successfully with multiple users running from a single copy of PowerPoint on network servers using Microsoft LAN Manager, Novell, and 3COM network software. However, because PowerPoint was not specifically designed to run from a network, a network administrator may experience some difficulties when installing PowerPoint for Windows.

To install PowerPoint for Windows on a network:

  Install Windows 3.00 to the network server as described on pages 553-554 of the “Microsoft Windows User’s Guide.”   Install a shared copy of Windows from the network as described on page 545 of the “Microsoft Windows User’s Guide.”   Run PowerPoint Setup to install PowerPoint for Windows to a read/write directory on the network server. This process puts all of the appropriate files into the read/write directory and its subdirectories. It also modifies the WIN.INI for the network administrator’s workstation. In addition, this will create a POWERPNT.INI file on the network server and create a FONTS directory on the network server where screen fonts and printer fonts will be placed.   Copy the entries, which PowerPoint Setup made in the network administrator’s WIN.INI, to a separate file for later distribution to individual PowerPoint users on the network. These entries include:  The entire [Embedding] section of the WIN.INI file. The screen font entries in the [fonts] section of the WIN.INI file that point to files located in the newly created FONTS directory on the network server. Any printer soft font entries that point to the newly created FONTS directory on the network server. These entries will be associated with specific printer driver headings in the WIN.INI file. For example, if you chose to install Bitstream printer fonts for the Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet Series II, and your Windows installation was configured to utilize that drive on the LPT1 port, the soft font entries would be located under the [HPPCL,LPT1:] heading in the WIN.INI file. Entries in the [devices] and [printer ports] sections that refer to the Genigraphics driver.</li></ol>

It is necessary that each of these entries be extracted so that they can be placed into the appropriate sections of each user’s WIN.INI file. This should be done for any user who wants to use PowerPoint from the network. </li>  If different display types are used by various workstations connected to the network, it is necessary to run PowerPoint setup from a machine with each of these displays to create the appropriate screen fonts for the corresponding display types (EGA, VGA, or 8514/A). PowerPoint detects the horizontal and vertical resolution of the display connected to the machine to which PowerPoint is being installed. During setup, it places the appropriate screen fonts in the FONTS directory, and makes the necessary changes to the WIN.INI file so that all Windows applications will be able to access those fonts. Different files of extracted WIN.INI entries need to be maintained for the various display types. </li>  Mark all of the files in the network PowerPoint directory and subdirectories read-only. This includes the files in the FONTS directory. Windows requires that all .EXE, .DLL, .DRV, and .FON files running on a network server be marked read-only. </li>  Install a shared copy of Windows 3.00 on all workstations that will be running PowerPoint for Windows from the network. </li>  Incorporate the entries that were extracted from the network administrator’s WIN.INI file into the WIN.INI file on each workstation. If the user already has soft fonts installed and wants to incorporate the soft font entries that were extracted from the network administrator’s WIN.INI, then it is important that the following line is removed from the user’s WIN.INI file. FontSummary= Also, because the number of soft font entries will have changed, all the new entries will have to be renumbered manually to reflect the new total number of fonts and the line softfonts= will have to be changed so that it reflects the new total of all soft fonts installed for that printer driver. </li></ol>

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1991.