Error with Excel objects in PowerPoint 2010

Question

I am desperate and frustrated with a problem in PowerPoint 2010.  I have twice researched everything on the internet I can find on this subject.  The answers are either not directly applicable or they just don't work.  

My problem is that excel tables (created from within PowerPoint) will eventually become un-editable.  This does not happen immediately (it ranges from  minutes to days), but eventually all PowerPoint docs with a Excel table will become un-editable.  When you click on the table to edit it I get an error message that says, "The server application, source file, or item can't be found, or returned an unknown error.  You may need to reinstall the server application."  This message is basically nonsense as I am running a stand-alone desktop.  The software is locally available.  All my research on this error points to situations where the person is having problems with inserting PDF objects.  I don't have that problem.  I can insert PDF objects.  I can insert new Excel objects and they will remain editable for a period of time, then they will start to exhibit this problem.  Also, (and this is strange) if I copy/paste the uneditable excel worksheet the copied worksheet will become editable again for a period of time (but will eventually go bad as well).  It is like something random clicks inside the Excel table and it adopts this error.  I have been experimenting with it for weeks and I can't see a pattern to when it clicks.  It  seems to have nothing to do with how often you click or how much you edit or even a fixed time.  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with Excel being open or not.

Basically, the essential functionality of placing worksheets into a PowerPoint (which is critical to my work) is ruined.

Additionally this problem manifests itself in saving.  Once a excel table has clicked to bad, then you can't save the file or save as a new file either.  I get an error message "PowerPoint was unable to open or save this document.  Please ensure that you have access privileges to read or write the document and that it is not encrypted."  Of course I have privileges.  If I remove the offending excel tables (either via cut and paste or simple deleting them the saving problem goes away.  Additionally, this problem doesn't seem to be in the file itself.  If I open one of these problematic files on my traveling laptop, it will not exhibit this problem.  So the problem seems to be local to this machine.

I have done registry sweeps, repairs of Office, and everything else I can think of.  I desperately need to fix this problem.  My clients are expecting me to provide them with PowerPoint reports with embedded excel files that work.

Please someone brilliant, I need your help.

Answer 1

I was getting this same error, " "The server application, source file, or item can't be found, or returned an unknown error.  You may need to reinstall the server application." " when trying to edit an Excel object in PowerPoint. I could create an object and everything worked fine, but when deselecting it and then coming back to it, I got the above error. I called my company tech support and spent a couple hours on the phone with them. Their solution was to rebuild my computer which I was not about to have them do.

So doing a little more researching, I found a solution that worked for me.

Check out the solution found here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-word/word-2010-cannot-edit-embedded-excel-tables-after/9821449b-ff20-470f-92a7-51095ef96792

I disabled all my COM plug-ins and it was working "better" (could now edit the object, but mouse interactions on the worksheet did not work). So then I went and disabled Hyperion (Excel Add-In) and it works fine now. Never had this issue with 2007, but glad I can now edit objects again!

Answer 2

We had this issue in our office, and the fix was to turn off Data Execution Prevention in Excel.

To turn off this option:

1. Open Excel.
2. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View > UNCHECK the box next to Enable Data Execution Prevention Mode.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I only have one version of Office on this computer and it has only had this one version of Office 2010.  Excel is working perfectly fine, with PowerPoint open or not.  It is only when I am working on a Excel worksheet from within PowerPoint. 

This problems is very difficult to debug as the problem is very intermittent.  It might show up within minutes of rebooting and opening PowerPoint or it may not manifest itself for a couple of days.  For example, I have had a PowerPoint open for two days now with the problem not showing up, I have worked on the file on and off for a couple of days. But when I went to save the file just now, one of the four excel tables had gone bad.   There may be some relationship to the problem showing up when a save is started, or more likely,  perhaps it is just that when I try to save, the Save feature is catching that one of the tables is bad and won't let it save.  Note that it says it is read-only and you can no longer save (or "save as") the file.  It claims the file is now read-only and requires you to save as a different named file. Which you can do if all the worksheets are fixed (by cut and pastes as described above).   But if you have them on multiple pages, you can't fix them all fast enough.   Usually they go bad as fast as you try to fix them.   Now, lest you think it is always caused by saving, saving is not the only reason the problem shows up.  It sometimes shows up without a save taking place at all.  I have frequently made saves without the problem showing up. For example, now that I have fixed and saved the file under a new name the tables are all OK and I can save just fine without it   However, once any table has gone bad you can't save it, even if you cut/paste and fix the tables.  You can save as, but you can't save.  So there is some relationship.

Additionally, I would note that once one table goes bad, then a chain reaction seems to start (with no perceivable pattern or order or timing).  All the other tables go bad in reasonably short order (in several minutes).

Additionally, I have conducted a clean boot (which was recommended on some similar problems) but that didn't stop the problem.

Additionally, I have a new hint which is that I have found a relationship to tables on multiple pages.  The file that I worked on for two days only had tables on a single page.  But when I put a table on a second page then the problem started.  But not with the second page table, but with one of the tables on the first page.  To test, I just created a new file and can pretty reliably cause the corruption to take place with the first page as soon as I put a table on the second page.

Additionally, I discovered by a serendipitous slip of the mouse, that the problem will occur if I add any type of table: EXCEL, or DRAW TABLE or regular PowerPoint Table.  But interestingly only the EXCEL file will become uneditable.  The draw and normal powerpoint tables will continue to be editable.  Only the EXCEL table is bad.  But the cause can be any type of table.    Ok.  Further research is indicating that if I add a chart or a shape or ANYTHING to the second page it fires off the excel file to go bad.  But it seems to be tied to the INSERT tab.  If I put a shape on the second page via the HOME tab then it doesn't cause the problem.  If normally add things from the Quick Access Toolbar (shapes, text, etc.).  And if you add text or a shape that way, you never see the problem.  It is only when you use the INSERT tab.  And again the effect is only to corrupt the excel tables not anything else.  You can still edit the shapes or other tables.  And it only happens when you INSERT the thing on a different page from the excel table.  For example, if you insert a screenshot on the same page as the excel table it won't affect it.  But if you insert the same screen shot on a second page then the first pages excel file will immediately go bad.  You can leave the object on the second page and cut and past the first pages excel file and it will "heal"  but after a while the problem will come back.

Ok, further testing has destroyed by theory that you can insert things in other ways and it won't cause a problem.  I just had a new file with an excel on the first page.  I went to the second page and entered in some text via the quick access tool bar and it made the first page excel file go bad.  But this is confusing as it was most definitively not doing it before.

Anyway. . . I will continue to test.  I appreciate any help.  This is ruining my job.

Answer 4

That's really a weird issue i have ever seen. Did you try re-installing Office? As John said, did you try running excel separately? 

Try uninstalling every version of the Office you have installed on your system and then re-install. (Try to install only one version.)

Answer 5

It is a crazy error message but in this case it usually means it cannot find Excel (or at least the version it expects)

Do you have other versions of office installed?

Is Excel working normally?