Microsoft KB Archive/86017

{| = Excel: Windows 3.1 PC Speaker Driver Does Not Work with Slide =
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Last reviewed: November 29, 1994

Article ID: Q86017 The information in this article applies to:
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 4.0.

SYMPTOMS
In Microsoft Excel version 4.0 for Windows, the following message may be generated when you use the slide show feature with the Microsoft Windows 3.1 PC Speaker driver:

The sound file cannot be played because the file format is  invalid or the sound output device is not working.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel for Windows version 4.0. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Excel for Windows 4.0a.

MORE INFORMATION
The slide show add-in (SLIDES.XLA) allows sound to be attached to a slide. However, the slide show does not support non-asynchronous sound drivers, such as the PC Speaker.

In Microsoft Excel, the PC Speaker driver will play sounds only in notes.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

 * 1) Select a few cells of data and choose Copy from the Edit menu.
 * 2) From the File menu, choose New.
 * 3) Choose Slides, and then choose OK.
 * 4) In the Slides1 Window, choose Paste Slide.
 * 5) In the Edit Slide box, under Sound, choose the Choose button.
 * 6) In the Choose Sound dialog box, switch to the Windows directory, and select any .WAV file from the Windows directory, and choose OK.
 * 7) Choose Test Sound from the Sound box.

The message above will appear. After choosing OK to the message, the Test Sound button will become unavailable.