PPT4: "Sorry, OLE Could Not Get Started" Error Message

• Microsoft PowerPoint for the Macintosh, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you run Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0, you may receive the following error message

   Sorry, OLE could not get started.

   Sorry, PowerPoint cannot get started. You may not have enough
   memory, or you may need to run PowerPoint Setup.

CAUSE

This error occurs when there is an extension conflict, or when either of the following is true:

• The Microsoft OLE Extension is missing, or has been moved out of the Extensions folder.

      -or-
  

• There is not enough memory to load the Microsoft OLE Library.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this problem, follow the appropriate procedure below.

If the Microsoft OLE Extension is missing, or has been moved

If the Microsoft OLE Extension file has been moved to a different folder or has been removed from the hard disk, the file must either be returned to the Extensions folder in the System folder, or you must reinstall the Microsoft application.

To reinstall the application:

1. In the PowerPoint folder, double-click the Microsoft PowerPoint Setup icon. If you have an integrated installation of Microsoft Office, double-click on the Microsoft Office Setup icon in the Microsoft Office folder.

2. Click on Reinstall to repeat the last installation, which restores missing files and settings.

If there is not enough memory to load the Microsoft OLE Extension

If there is not enough memory to load the Microsoft OLE Extension, close any currently open non-essential applications, turn on virtual memory, or reduce the amount of memory allocated to PowerPoint.

For more information about optimizing memory for OLE applications, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q121595
   TITLE     : OFF4: Optimizing Memory Allocation for Use with OLE
               Documents

   ARTICLE-ID: Q121452
   TITLE     : WD: Err Msg: Word Cannot Complete the Current Operation...

   ARTICLE-ID: Q121454
   TITLE     : OFF4: Err Msg: Cannot Use Object Linking and Embedding

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft OLE Extension is loaded when you run a Microsoft application, but it is not loaded into the application's allocated memory. Instead, because it is an extension, it is loaded by the system software. The largest unused block of memory must be at least 400K after the application loads in order for enough memory to be available for the Microsoft OLE Extension. In addition to the memory required for the Microsoft OLE Extension, when an OLE server is used, such as Clip Art Gallery or Microsoft Graph, more memory is required. This memory will be taken from the Largest Unused Block.