Microsoft Powerpoint Add-Ins
PC Magazine

If you're puzzled over how to put a presentation on a CD so it will run automatically, TCB software has an elegant freeware solution: PPPCD. It couldn't be any easier to use. When you install the program, it sets up a PPPCD folder with all the folders and files that you'll need (except for the presentation itself) on the CD, including Autorun.inf and Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer for PowerPoint 97 and 2000 files. To create a CD, simply copy your presentation to the appropriate directory, rename it to Show.ppt (for PPT files) or Show.pps (for PPS files), then burn the entire directory structure and files onto the CD. The resulting disc will take advantage of the Windows auto-run feature to start up when you insert it into a CD-ROM drive. It will then call up PowerPoint (if PowerPoint is on the system) or ask whether it should install the PowerPoint Viewer, and then load the presentation.

The discs we created using PPPCD worked as promised. The PowerPoint Viewer installation failed on one system, but that—along with the lack of support for PowerPoint 2002 files—is a problem with Microsoft Viewer, not PPPCD. The good news for PowerPoint 2002 users is that PowerPoint 2002 will save to PowerPoint 2000 format, so you can still use PPPCD with it. (TCB Software, www.bhwhost.com/tcb_software.)

CrystalGraphics' PowerPlugs: Ultimate Combo 9 ($599 direct) is the 800-pound gorilla of PowerPoint add-ins. It's actually a suite of 9 modules with 19 different volumes that you can buy separately for prices ranging from $19 to $99 each.