issue with my ppt/s loading

[nymmy]

I am having issues with some .ppt/pps links I have put on a microsite I am building for an intranet. For some reason, the presentations require continual downloading, unless you save them to your computer.

I am creating the site purely in css, and the html I am using is:

<div id="content">
<h2>Conference and User Presentations</h2>
<p>Below you will find a selection of presentations from various Conferences and User meetings which we have collected together for your information.</p>
<p>Each link opens in a new window, but you can also download each document by right-clicking on the link and selecting &quot;Save Target As...&quot;</p>
<p><a href="downloads/presentations/Rory - user meeting ISMRM March 2008- 300408.pps" target="_blank" title="Click here to read the March '08 Magnet Update">ISMRM March '08 Magnet Update: R Warner</a></p>
<p><a href="downloads/presentations/ISMRM08_imaging_AR.ppt" target="_blank" title="Click here to read the 2008 Imaging Update">ISMRM '08 Imaging Update: A Rath</a></p>
<p><a href="downloads/presentations/Amy ISMRM2008 Users Meeting Talk - FINAL.ppt" target="_blank" title="Click here to read the March '08 Users Meeting update">ISMRM '08 Users Meeting Talk: A Herlihy</a></p>
<p><a href="downloads/presentations/ismrm09_sw_applications_ARath.ppt" target="_blank" title="Click here to read the 2009 Imaging Update">ISMRM '09 Imaging Update: A Rath</a></p>
<p><a href="downloads/presentations/ISMRM2009_UM_Amy_Final.ppt" target="_blank" title="Click here to read the April '09 Product Update">ISMRM April '09 Product Update: A Herlihy</a></p>
</div>

I have tried:


Changing all the extensions (in the links and on the files themselves) to .pps and back again
Changing the target window option
Removing the target window option (so it opens in the same window)
Saving the file to my machine (which then runs as normal)

This is my first web design/building project, and I have a feeling I am missing something obvious, but it escapes me. I am using Dreamweaver CS4, the files are created using Office 2003, and the links have been tested on three machines, one using Vista Home Premium, two using XP. The browsers used were: Firefox (all three machines), IE6 (one XP machine) and IE7 (the other XP machine, and the Vista machine).

Any help would be greatly appreciated (though I think its more of a code/microsoft issue, but you never know...)

Thanks

Leena

[KDLA]

Take a look at this: http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00189.htm

[nymmy]

Its a nice site, but doesn't help.

The browser knows what the file type is (I have a .pps and several .ppt files on there) and it recognises them, and downloads them fine. The issue arises when the user wants to look at the other slides present in the file, when they get a dialog box asking whether they want to open the file or save to their machine.

This then continues on a regular basis until they close the file.

Is this a known (and resolvable) issue? Or is it just something we will have to put up with?