Some controls on this presentation can't be activated - Boardworks

[spacebar]

Hi,

 

We are having a strange issue with powerpoint presentations which contain flash objects. We keep getting the error:

 

"Some controls on this presentation can't be activated - They might not be registered on this computer."

 

but they are registered as they are default. Shockwave and Flash is installed on the machine. Macro's are not blocked, Activex is not blocked.

 

At a loss as to why the error is coming up, any one else ever come across this?

 

Thanks.

[Mako]

Unless a post states something, I assume it hasn't been done.

 

Therefore, have you tried the steps outlined on the Boardworks site here: Troubleshooting ?

[spacebar]

Sorry should of said, that's the first thing I did.

 

No luck.

[Mako]

Interestingly, the American Boardworks site has different information pertaining to that error: Troubleshooting

 

Have you tried that too (checking the flash files and/or registering them manually)?

[spacebar]

Thanks for that link.

 

It still shows the same error even after doing as the page suggests.

 

Its like the content is being blocked.

[Boardworks]

Sorry for not picking up on this thread earlier.

 

If you've followed the suggestions on the Troubleshooting page (on the UK site*) then I would suspect that the file isn't one of our published presentations. This error sometimes occurs when the PowerPoint is edited, usually when slides containing flash are pulled in from a number of presentations. The process of embedding flash within PowerPoint can be quite delicate, the best advice is to save the PowerPoint after every single edit and hopefully the flash will stay embedded correctly. You also need to be using a version of Flash the same or higher than that which was used to create the PowerPoint.

 

If this isn't the case please feel free to email over one of the presentations to support at boardworks.co.uk and I'll take a look at the file to see if there is another issue.

 

* Thanks for pointing out the outdated advice on the US site. Personally, I've never actually seen the manual registering of Flash work (that advice was written quite long ago now) and that page should reflect our UK troubleshooting site. I'll get on to the relevant people about that now.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Boardworks

[J_Worth]

Not sure if you've managed to fix this issue, but we have been having the same issue. The solution that seems to work for us is it to convert the file into the new PowerPoint format. Once this is done, the PowerPoints and embedded flash objects work fine.

 

Hope this helps someone!

[jlgeer]

Try restore point before 12/09/14 as that date windows had a critical update that greatly affects active X controls - you will find the same issue with excel as well. After you restore your problem should go away.

[DamienG1121]

Some controls on this presentation can't be activated - They might not be registered on this computer

 

Has any one managed to solve this? I am encountering the same problem myself. Problem is the presentations work on my PC fine. I am running 64bit Windows 7 with up to date Flash Player and Shockwave. The PC's that actually need to access the software cannot run the flash content. It brings up the above error. Flash and Shockwave are completely up to date. The image is a refreshed image. The Boardworks presentations are all shared on the network. At Software Level there is nothing different between the computers. The only difference mine has is Architecture. The only other difference is my Active Directory profile has more permissions than the user profiles however I cannot give them the same rights.

 

I could really do with some help on this one.

 

Thanks

[CHiLL]

I have also encountered this issue. The Powerpoints I am trying to open have apparently originally come from Boardworks, and we're using Office 2013 ProPlus on Windows 8.1 x64.

 

Any help would b greatly appreciated.

[DamienG1121]

As a temporary workaround. The thing I have found is that when the error appears it cannot register the .ocx file when Flash Player updates. To fix Boardworks what I have had to do is advise the user to run a batch file that registers the Flash Player ocx file based on the version.

 

regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash32_19_0_0_185.ocx (Or whichever version of Flash you are using)

 

Steps they follow. Copy the Batch file to the desktop.

 

Run Boardworks if the error appears. Close Boardworks run the batch file. Reopen Boardworks. You should find the Flash content works.

 

I am currently looking into this with Boardworks to see if there is a more permanent fix.

 

Thanks.

Edited October 1, 2015 by DamienG1121

[CHiLL]

As a temporary workaround. The thing I have found is that when the error appears it cannot register the .ocx file when Flash Player updates. To fix Boardworks what I have had to do is advise the user to run a batch file that registers the Flash Player ocx file based on the version.

 

regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash32_19_0_0_185.ocx (Or whichever version of Flash you are using)

 

Steps they follow. Copy the Batch file to the desktop.

 

Run Boardworks if the error appears. Close Boardworks run the batch file. Reopen Boardworks. You should find the Flash content works.

 

I am currently looking into this with Boardworks to see if there is a more permanent fix.

 

Thanks.

Thanks for the info, however it didn't work.

I have run the following command

regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash64_19_0_0_185.ocx

I got a message saying that is succeeded and registered, however I still cannot play the Flash content. I get the same error message.

 

We're using simply the Powerpoint, not Boardworks directly. It has just been copied from Boardworks content media.

[DamienG1121]

Have you checked your Flash version in case it is different? Could be running an older version. Unlikely if you are on 8.1 but I've seen stranger things I suppose it depends on your update process.

 

Also to get ours to work I have to open the presentation. The error comes up. I then have to close it run the command again then open it and it sorts it.

 

Really finneky I know. But it's the only way I have got ours to work so far.

 

Thanks

[CHiLL]

Have you checked your Flash version in case it is different? Could be running an older version. Unlikely if you are on 8.1 but I've seen stranger things I suppose it depends on your update process.

 

Also to get ours to work I have to open the presentation. The error comes up. I then have to close it run the command again then open it and it sorts it.

 

Really finneky I know. But it's the only way I have got ours to work so far.

 

Thanks

Yeah I have, checked that its the right version. I installed the latest version of Flash on the machine this morning and browsed to the path to ensure it is correct (Copied the path and file name from the machine).

 

Even when the command is run and I open the Powerpoint again, I still get the error message and the Flash content does not work. So I can't even use that finneky work-around.

[Oaktech]

Have you tried adding the location of the boardworks files to the trusted locations list in Office? That's fixed it before for me.

[CHiLL]

Have you tried adding the location of the boardworks files to the trusted locations list in Office? That's fixed it before for me.

Yeah, I've tried that with no avail.

In Group Policy > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2013 > Security Settings > Trust Centre...I've enabled several Trusted locations and I've tried adding drive letters, the share UNC path as well as the server itself (all with the sub folders check box ticked).

I've also tried the same thing in Group Policy > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Powerpoint 2013 > PowerPoint Options > Security > Trust Centre > Trusted Locations. Again, with no avail.

[markwilfan]

I found with some boardworks stuff saving as pptm fixed these issues. Careful though as this broke some so make a backup before

[CHiLL]

In an interesting twist...

Over the summer we migrated our staff common/shared area from one domain to another, which also included moving the physical location of the data from a physical server to a virtual server (on a SAN). If I use one of our test teacher computers and test account (both on on the new domain) and connect to the NEW staff shared, I CANNOT use these PowerPoint files, as I encounter this error. However, if I use the same test account on the same test PC (again, still on the new domain) and manually browse the OLD staff common server, the PowerPoints WORK without any issues! I simply states that I need to enable content. As soon as I press that button, the animations within the PowerPoint work.

 

I have added the new domain into Trusted sites using the Office 2013 ADMX files, and ensured that GP is up to date on the client machine I am testing with. The share itself, all staff have modify permissions on the shares/files, however it appears that the Owner is set to the local administrators group. (The folders are inheriting permissions)

 

I'm not sure how to proceed to get it working on the current setup though.

[psydii]

Possibly related to September 2015 problems? https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=4062206

[CHiLL]

Possibly related to September 2015 problems? https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=4062206

Good thought, though I'm not sure as the same machine/user/version of PowerPoint/version of Flash for me works using the original source PowerPoint, but doesn't on the new source.

[Boardworks]

In an interesting twist...

Over the summer we migrated our staff common/shared area from one domain to another, which also included moving the physical location of the data from a physical server to a virtual server (on a SAN). If I use one of our test teacher computers and test account (both on on the new domain) and connect to the NEW staff shared, I CANNOT use these PowerPoint files, as I encounter this error. However, if I use the same test account on the same test PC (again, still on the new domain) and manually browse the OLD staff common server, the PowerPoints WORK without any issues! I simply states that I need to enable content. As soon as I press that button, the animations within the PowerPoint work.

 

I have added the new domain into Trusted sites using the Office 2013 ADMX files, and ensured that GP is up to date on the client machine I am testing with. The share itself, all staff have modify permissions on the shares/files, however it appears that the Owner is set to the local administrators group. (The folders are inheriting permissions)

 

I'm not sure how to proceed to get it working on the current setup though.

 

Morning CHiLL, are the files on the two different network areas the same? Could you create an md5 hash on the two files and make sure that they match?

 

Unfortunately, since the update to Flash Player 19 (specifically 19.0.0.185) on the 21st September, Adobe have introduced a bug to Flash Player where presentations which have flash embedded are corrupted when they are saved. If the files your staff are using have been edited & saved since the update to Flash 19, then the presentation will be broken. However, I wouldn't expect the error to be the "some controls in this presentation cannot be activated", it would more likely be reporting that the file has become corrupt and needs repairing (clicking the Repair button unfortunately fails).

 

If you would like to send over an example of a broken presentation to [email protected] with your schools name and post code in the subject line I can take a look to see if this is the issue.

[CHiLL]

Morning CHiLL, are the files on the two different network areas the same? Could you create an md5 hash on the two files and make sure that they match?

 

Unfortunately, since the update to Flash Player 19 (specifically 19.0.0.185) on the 21st September, Adobe have introduced a bug to Flash Player where presentations which have flash embedded are corrupted when they are saved. If the files your staff are using have been edited & saved since the update to Flash 19, then the presentation will be broken. However, I wouldn't expect the error to be the "some controls in this presentation cannot be activated", it would more likely be reporting that the file has become corrupt and needs repairing (clicking the Repair button unfortunately fails).

 

If you would like to send over an example of a broken presentation to [email protected] with your schools name and post code in the subject line I can take a look to see if this is the issue.

Good Morning, thank you for replying. I have generated an MD5 hash of the two files:

MD5 of the old working PowerPoint on the old domain: 5a33f8c89a230e3e33f4113de4f8ad9f

MD5 of the new NOT working Powerpoint on the new domain: 2b3d308eeb787ae39cc75e9139f559d3

 

We have a lot of these PowerPoint files, and some staff rely on these presentations when delivering lessons, especially with an imminent OFSTED looming. One of the other PowerPoint files I have been trying has been stating that it needs repairing and failing to do so. However these two aren't at that point yet.

 

I will email over the two PowerPoints to you shortly.

 

Thanks.

[Boardworks]

If the two md5 hashes do not match, then the files are not the same.

 

Could you try copying over the presentation from the old location to the new location and see if that copy works, it should do if it is exactly the same file and the original file works.

[CHiLL]

If the two md5 hashes do not match, then the files are not the same.

 

Could you try copying over the presentation from the old location to the new location and see if that copy works, it should do if it is exactly the same file and the original file works.

I opened a PowerPoint directly from the old location and the animations worked (and closed the PowerPoint without saving). I then tried copying that exact file to the new location. Once I'd done that, neither of the two files will work.

[themightymrp]

I'm running Windows 8.1 with the latest Flash player and also, Office 2016. When I open the Powerpoints from Boardworks I get prompted to make them a trusted document. I click OK and all animations etc work just fine.

 

Not sure if this helps anyone - maybe try making the single problematic Powerpoint into a trusted document in the Trust Centre and see if it works then?