Presenter for 64 Bit

[Snowburst]

Does anyone know when Adobe will release a version of Presenter for 64 bit systems? I have been using it for a couple of years on an older 32 bit laptop and would really like to get this installed with PowerPoint 2010 on my newer 64 bit PC. I got the impression from customer support that a release is in the works.

[Guest]

Hi Snowburst

You can use Adobe Presenter on a 64 bit system if you have installed 32 bit version of MS PowerPoint. There are no other compatibility issues with 64 bit Windows systems.

ADOBE SYSTEMS

[maplepollock]

Well, that is interesting. I was just told by Adobe tech support that Presenter would not work on 64 bit systems period. Now I just have to figure-out how to get a 32 bit PowerPoint.And might I also add that there is nothing on the system requirements page for Presenter about this.

[Jorma_at_CoSo]

I have been using Windows 7 64 bit and MS Office 32 bit for years without problem. It works just fine.

MS Office comes with both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of the software, so just install the 32 bit version of PPT.

Microsoft even reccomends that users install the 32 bit version unless there is a specific need for a 64 bit version:

"Additional System Requirements
This product includes both 32- and 64-bit versions for a single  computer. We recommend the 32-bit version, which runs great on both 32-  and 64-bit versions of Windows. People who routinely use very large  documents or spreadsheets that need more than 2 GB of memory may want to  run the 64-bit version, but many common add-ins for Office don't run  correctly in the 64-bit edition." -- from microsoft.com

[maplepollock]

Thanks. Installed Office 2010 32 bit version and reinstalled Presenter. Seems to work fine.

[Guest]

I think sometimes both users and tech support get confused on 32/64 bit Windows and using 32/64 bit Office. Sometimes it's a language issue...sometimes wrong answer.

Presenter is only a 32-bit plugin and only works with MS Powerpoint 32-bit. We used Microsoft's recommendation that most users should be installing the 32-bit version of Powerpoint for everyday use. Only specific features or requirements for 64 bit should be used according to Microsoft. Therefore, there are no plans in place to create a 64 bit version of Presenter. Of course, that could change in time as the market evolves.

I hope that is clear.

[Stefan Zutt]

Now after Adobe waking up and the announcements in November, with 50% of corporate focus on authoring and content creation tools, what about the plans for the Presenter product? Does anyone bother to make it fit for presence and future? 64-bit software is very much out there in daily use, so are mobile devices and browsers expecting HTML5. In a year from now both will be the norm. You must have plans meanwhile, or don’t you? Would be scary for us customers.

[Guest]

There are no plans at this time for 64-bit Presenter. Microsoft recommends that their customers use Office 32 bit for everyday use. They only recommend Office 64 bit as an exception. Consequently, Presenter is targeted to the majority of customer using Office 32 bit.

This from Microsoft on this topic:

"Yes, Office 2010 products are available in 64-bit versions; however, for the best productivity and user experience, Microsoft recommends 32-bit Office 2010 for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Office 64-bit is optimized for advanced data analysis scenarios that most users don’t require, and existing 32-bit add-ins are not supported on Office 64-bit."

See:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/office-2010-frequently-asked-questions-HA101674631.aspx

and

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/choose-the-32-bit-or-64-bit-version-of-microsoft-office-...

By default, Microsoft Office 2010 installs the 32-bit version of Office 2010 even if your computer is running 64-bit editions of Windows.

Important    The 32-bit version of Office 2010 is the recommended option for most people, because it prevents potential compatibility issues with other 32-bit applications, specifically third-party add-ins that are available only for 32-bit operating systems.

Office 2010 provides support for the 32-bit version of Office 2010 programs running on 64-bit operating systems by using WOW64, a compatibility environment provided by the operating system that allows a 32-bit application to run on a Windows 64-bit operating system. Using the 32-bit version of Office 2010 allows people to continue to use existing third-party add-ins for Office that are 32-bit.

Note    If you already have a 64-bit version of Office installed on your computer running a 64-bit operating system, the default installation is the 64-bit version of Office.

Learn more about the 64-bit version of Office

• What is in the 32-bit version of Office but is not included in the 64-bit version of Office?
• Compatibility with existing Office files and solutions
• Operating systems required to run 64-bit version of Office
• Install the 64-bit version of Office

What is in the 32-bit version of Office but is not included in the 64-bit version of Office?

• ActiveX controls library, ComCtl    This library contains ActiveX controls that are used to build solutions. It is most commonly used in the following Microsoft Office programs: Access, Excel, and Word.
• SharePoint List control    The list view in SharePoint Technology is not available to people using the 64-bit version of Office.

Top of Page

Compatibility with existing Office files and solutions

Note    The 64-bit version of Office 2010 is not compatible with any other 32-bit version of Office programs. As a result, you must first uninstall all 32-bit versions of Office programs before you install the 64-bit version of Office 2010. The Office 2010 disc includes both 32- and 64-bit versions of Office 2010. To install 64-bit Office 2010, you must run Setup.exe from the x64 folder. For more information, see Install the 64-bit version of Office.

• ActiveX controls library, ComCtl    Any solutions that use these controls do not work. No good alternatives are available for some of these controls.
• Third-party ActiveX controls and add-ins    None of these work with the 64-bit version of Office.

Note   There is no 64-bit version of Visual Basic 6. As a result, many of these objects need to be ported and rewritten.

• Visual Basic for Applications    The only way that Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that contains the Declare statement work in the 64-bit version of Office is if you update the code manually.
• Compiled Access databases    The .MDE and .ACCDE files, a common way for Access application developers to distribute solutions and protect their intellectually property, do not work in the 64-bit version of Office. You must contact the application vendor to have the vendor recompile, retest, and redistribute the solution in the 64-bit version.
• Communicator integration    If you install the 64-bit version of Office, certain Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 features that involve integration with Outlook are lost. For example, you cannot right-click a Communicator contact to schedule a meeting, send an e-mail message, or find previous conversations. This is because Office Communicator R2 is 32-bit, and Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) calls do not cross the 32-/64-bit boundary.

Additionally, certain Microsoft Outlook 2010 features are unavailable with Communicator R2. For more information about these Outlook features and the hotfix that addresses them, see the following Knowledge Base article:

You cannot see features in Office 2010 builds if you are running Communicator 2007 R2 RTM or earlier...

For optimal Communicator R2 performance, make sure that you have the latest version by visiting the Communicator download page at Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Trial Download.

Top of Page

[Stefan Zutt]

Let me first put my remarks in context. I am a fan of your products and would like them to progress not disappear. Heyward, can you therefore tell us a bit more about the actual plans for Presenter?

I know those meanwhile dated Microsoft guidelines and articles from 2009, talking about issues with MS Communicator, a product meanwhile superseded. The practical reality and also the action from Microsoft is meanwhile a different one. Windows Phone 7.5 is out there, and with Nokia now beginning the shipping of their devices, HTML5 is going to be the only mobile phone publishing platform for eLearning and more that will matter next year. If you download the beta software for the next version of Windows (announced for summer 2012), you will realize that for a full download with all tools and components you MUST already pick the 64 bit edition. Telling. And when the next MS Office will show up in 1+ year it will care for many things but likely not so much the 32 bit plugin legacy.

[Captiv8r]

Hi Stefan and welcome to our community

You encountered a bit of an unusual situation here with an actual Adobe employee replying to you. Please note that the forums here are primarily user to user and we cannot expect Adobe to reply to posts. As such, there may be information that folks such as Heyward that are simply unable to answer what you asked. Not because they don't know, but because internal Adobe protocol prohibits divulging certain information.

Adobe does have a channel that they keenly monitor. That channel is known as the Wish Form/Bug Report. (the same page serves both purposes)

Anything you submit via this page is monitored by the team it is directed to. So I would heartily encourage you (as well as all others with these concerns) to please, Please, PLEASE submit a Wish Form. If we don't, Adobe isn't likely to take your concerns as seriously as they otherwise might if they have all manner of documented reports.

Click here to view the Wish Form/Bug Report

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

hi Stefan

I am happy to inform you that support for 64 bit Office is in the works and is expected in the next release of Presenter.

thanks

[Guest]

Stefan, let me explain that we are not permitted to reveal any future plans for products on the web. We can reveal future plans under non-disclosure. This forum is not the place to discuss future versions of products. Thus my answer was based on current knpwledge that is shared with the sales teams at Adobe. Now, if someone from the product development team joins the discussion and shares future plans like Nirupam just did then the risk of losing my job is eliminated and the risk is on them!

The product team has just revealed future plans are underway for 64 bit support. That was information not shared within Adobe and the sales team previously. Good to know. So look for an update in 2012.

As for the question of the Adobe change in focus and if it affects Presenter. The Adobe Presenter team is tiny and highly efficient. Since Adobe Presenter is not a product the Adobe sales team leads with or sells alone, it is sold as part of a larger enterprise solution with Adobe Connect being the lead product sold and Captivate and Presenter following. So, the reorg has not affected the team to date. It's all based on sale of the product and success. Adobe is concentrating on government and education markets going forward, so if anything, the products will take on issues that those specialized markets care about. To date, those markets constitute a majority of the elearning business for us anyway.