My powerpoint freezes and the remote won't forward

Like you Christie, I am a professional speaker / presenter and have been having the same problem when using a Power Point and a projector. I've not used Keynote for a presentation. I use my charger when presenting so I'm not running off the battery.

I've gone to my System Preferences > Energy Saver and both the Computer Sleep and Display Sleep to "Never" when presenting. It didn't fix the problem for me.

I unchecked "Put hard drive to sleep when possible." No difference.

The unfortunate only "solution" has been for me to close my Mac's top and reopen it - not a full shut down (thankfully). This takes it out of PowerPoint presentation mode. Once I open the lip, I then put it back in the PP presentation mode and continue until the next incident. It is embarassingly unprofessional to have these tech glitches, resets, and waste of people's time.

I've done these type of presentation with a mac and projector for 15+ years. This has just happened in the last few months. My OS is currently 10.8.2.

Any ideas out there would be most appreciated. I'm presenting again on March 16.

Christie, thanks for the "Exit Show" tip instead of closing the lid. One of the things I've been doing is strategically using workbook time and breaks to reset or exit show to buy time between freezes.

It may be a Mountain Lion isses because I've gotten messages about my remote like "Not recognizing keyboard" when putting in my USB adapter (LogiTech). I've used my remote for several years flawlessly and now this!

Knock, knock, Apple - please help!

I am a professional presenter as well and have used my Macbook pro without incident many times until this past week. I am having to close the lid and have the audience wait multiple times during a presentation. How embarassing! Can't afford to have these type problems. If it is not fixed soon, I'll be forced to go buy a windows machine unfortunately.

Please help!!!

Jimmy, For goodness sake don't run to the dark side - a windows machine!

Today I had a presentation using Keynote, not PowerPoint. I checked my setting carefully in the Preferences > Energy Saver. The default option is when running on battery. Instead, select the "Power Adapter" option. I also unchecked: Put hard disk to sleep whenever possible. My remote worked perfectly too.

My presentation today ran flawlessly. Whew!

Also use PowerPoint full time in adult education. My remote started freezing up in presentation mode after an update to OSX - not the last update - about two updates ago - early March. It worked fine before then. I can use the remote in Keynote - but not all print lines up and some of the animations are not working properly

Also, I discovered that my remote will run fine ----- until I plug in the cable from the projector!

Sure would like to know a fix.

By the way when my PowerPoint freezes, it won't work with a mouse pad click or with the down arrow either. Without restarting presentation mode, the only way I can advance slides is to put the mouse on the little advance arrow under the presenter mode window and click that arrow.

Roy -

Did your "remote freeze" or did your presentation? If the remote is freezing, try a different remote.

If presentation is freezing, do you have current versions of PowerPoint and Keynote? All these upgrades to OS and software packages seems to invite idiosyncrasies.

Finally, check your preferences and Energy setting for both when you are plugged in with an adapter or running off of a battery. Make sure your Mac isn't going to sleep or turning off the hard drive.

There, no you have exhausted my best thinking! Good luck.

I have the same problem. since about the end of February or early March, when in presenter mode and plugged into an projector. powerpoint will stop responding to the remote. I have used this remote on this machine (macbook pro) for nearly two years with same version of Powerpoint with no problems. at the same time the keyboard will stop resonding...mouse pad still works.

additionally when I unplug this remote and just advance by hand (clicking with mouse on the advance button) my presentation will spontaneously exit presenter mode then re-start itself from the current slide after sort of glitching for a second or two. beginning to think my machine is haunted... it is indeed very embarassing and yet one more reason I hesitate to buy another Mac OS upgrade or install another update....hope it gets fixed soon. I haven't seen any indication that Apple is even looking into why this happens. I suppose since Keynote is not affected they will pretend it is a Microsoft problem...but this is caused by an update to OS imo...I had no problems with my MacBook or Powerpoint for well over a year until OSx update back in February.

I completely agree with you on this one.

The last OSX update to 10.8.3 did something and now it's broken.

Logitech presenter (that I have been using since the very beginning) and the keyboard stop responding, though the trackpad still works.

I just pulled down the latest PPT update (14.3.2) so hopefully this will fix the issue. I have also been running PPT for ages on my mac, also since the very first day that I got my Retina Pro. I use PPT for my lecturing at working and this is, as everybody has pointed out, a very disruptive problem.

The issue has arisen since the last OSX update, so I really doubt this problem has anything to do with MS, and using Keynote is really just not an option. Hopefully this gets patched up soon...

Hallo

Pleas sorry my bad English...

I think, I have the same Problem:

MacBookPro Retina 15” / OS 10.8.3 - German (Switzwrland)

Office PowerPoint for Mac 14.3.2 - German (Switzerland)

Last presentation without problems: 22. January 2013

Then no presentations

Next presentation with problems: 8. March 2013

Problem:

PowerPoint / presentation-mode / beamer (once with VGA / once with HDMI) / Logitech “Cordless 2.4 GHz Presenter“

First no problem. After about 18 Minutes the presentation freezes. No change with presenter and no change with keys. Only tackpad (move cursor and klick) works.

Have you a solution for this problem?

Thanks!

Martin

Check your Mac's System Preferences > Energy Saver. There you have two tabs: Battery and Power Adapter. Assuming you are presenting with your Mac plugged in with your charger, check your settings here. My guess is that you Mac is scheduled to go asleep at 18 minutes.

Try this:

Move "Computer sleep" and Display sleep" to "Never" or a time frame longer than your presentation.

Leave UNchecked the "Put hard disk to sleep when possible".

If you are presenting from the Battery (vs charger) then do the same setting.

Unless you are presenting regularly, I suggest returning the setting to more "normal" time frames to preserve the life of your mac's components / monitor from wear and tear.

Hope that solves the problem for you. It did for me for my last presentation.

Thanks!

I read in an other forum that all this is not the solution.

The problem is "Office Update 14.3.xx / up to version 14.2.3 there is no problem".

Actuel I unistall my Office and reinstall new WITHOUT update up to 14.3.xx

Hope...

Hallo again

Sorry about my last Text.

The other forum say:

„It is important for all persons encountering this issue to know that the root cause is not the retina MacBook Pro or any of the operating systems used. The 14.2.3 update brought this perplexing issue to all of us.”

Now I have Office 14.1.0 on my Mac. And the test will start…

Best regards...