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"The image part with relationship ID rld** was not found in the file." Powerpoint images disappear.

Anonymous
2015-09-04T23:18:31+00:00

Someone please tell me this is a fixable issue!

I have been working on a large pptx saved in Dropbox.  Slideshow worked fine until I tried to save.  Got an error message that said "cannot save", then another saying file was read only and promting me to 'save as'.  Which I did.  When I reopened file, all the images had disappeared replaced with a red box and cross and ""The image part with relationship ID rld** was not found in the file."  Various rld numbers.

I am working in Office for Mac 2016.  From my quick online research this seems to have been a recurring issue in the last few versions.  I never had a problem with Office for Mac 2011. 

All the Microsoft responses seem to say "we'll have it fixed in the next update"..........

Tell me there is a fix PLEASE!

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For home | Windows

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Steve Rindsberg 99,161 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2015-09-07T15:28:42+00:00

I don't know if it's true of the other Office apps, but at least in some cases, the root of the problem was in the temporary file that PowerPoint opens in the same folder as the file you've opened.  Things would get dicey when you opened a PPT file in a synched Dropbox folder.  PPT creates the temp file, Dropbox goes "Oooh.  New file.  Must synchronize it.  Now!" and puts a lock on the file.  PPT tries to write to the temp file, finds it locked and can't cope.  

I'd try opening files using the other Office programs while watching the folder the file's in (after having made sure that your options allow you to see all files ... if you can't see PPT opening a temp file, this won't work for other apps).  If, say, Word also creates a temp file in the same folder, it may be subject to the same bug.  

Personally, I'd probably move any files out of synched Dropbox folders (or external drives, thumbdrives, anything) and onto the local hard drive or at least an independent network folder before editing, then put them back when done.  That way if *anything* goes wrong, you've only lost the local copy and can still revert to the original if need be.

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  1. Steve Rindsberg 99,161 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-16T15:32:23+00:00

    A slightly more recent post from Rich Michaels mentions a 15.14.0 update that fixed a (probably) related problem another user was having with disappearing images. 

    It might be worth checking to see if that's available and if so, whether it solves the problem for you.  One way or another, please let us know the results if you apply the update.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-15T22:24:55+00:00

    Just had a long and painful session with Microsoft Tech Team....the upshot being that yes this is still an issue in Office 2016....and yes the only safe option (if you want the flexibilty of working in external drives, which I do) is to go back to working with Office 2011!

    Would love to know if and when they manage to resolve this.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-06T22:52:42+00:00

    Yes - would have hoped they had fixed it in the 2016 version!

    Do I need to do the same with all the Office tools or is this just a Powerpoint issue?

    Thanks.

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  4. Steve Rindsberg 99,161 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-05T17:00:57+00:00

    This was a huge problem in Office 2013/Windows.  There were several causes, but the most common was working with a presentation in the way you've just described.

    The workaround to avoid the problem is to never open and work on files that may be backed up or synched or otherwise "touched" by any other program.  This shouldn't be a problem, but until it gets fixed, it is.

    Copy the file to your local hard drive, in a folder that's NOT synched.  Work on it there, save it there, close it in PPT, and only then move it back to a folder that'll be synched to the cloud.

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