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General questions and requirements

What are the system requirements?
OS: Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista (All Versions)

.NET 2.0 Framework is required for installation

Supported Microsoft Office files 
PowerPoint: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007
Excel: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007
Word: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007
There is no need for an PowerPoint, Word or Excel installation to use PowerShrink

Will PowerShrink work with PowerPoint 95 files?
No, PowerShrink only supports PowerPoint 97, 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007. When you have a PowerPoint 95 file, please convert it to a newer version before using PowerShrink.

Can PowerShrink handle all Office 2007 file formats?
PowerShrink works with the new Microsoft Office 2007 file formats PPTX, PPTM, POTX, XLSX, XLSM, XLTX, DOCC, DOCX, DOCM, DOTM, DOTX

How much will PowerShrink compress my PowerPoint, Word and Excel files?
It depends on how well your images are already compressed.
Don't be surprised when you reach compression levels as high as 98%. Our average compression rate is 62%.

Can PowerShrink handle all Open Office file formats?
PowerShrink does support Open Office: .ODT, .ODS, .ODP, .ODG, .ODF

Is the trial version of PowerShrink limited in anyway?
Yes, you can only compress 10 files without any limitations.

Is PowerShrink Windows Vista Compatible?
Yes PowerShrink is fully supported under Microsoft Windows Vista.

Using PowerShrink

Can I run PowerShrink on a Server?
We also offer a Server Edition. Find free trial download and prices here!

Does PowerShrink work with Terminal Server or Citrix?
PowerShrink has been tested on Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server and Microsoft Terminal Server.

Is it possible to deploy PowerShrink with distribution software such as Altiris or Microsoft SMS?
Yes to make things simple we have developed an MSI package for easy deployment.
To make things even easier during the deployment we have created transfer files that can be used in conjunction with the deployment.
A Microsoft SMS install documentation can be downloaded under www.TopByteLabs.com

What should I do when I get an error message?
Just fill out the contact form on our website. For best support, send us the failing Office file to support(at)topbytelabs.com or request the login details of TopByteLabs Customer FTP Server to upload large files.

Is PowerShrink multi language supported?
Yes. PowerShrink supports English, German, Dutch, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.

How do I install PowerShrink?
Just click on PowerShrink.exe to start the installation process.
Follow the onscreen instructions. Before you install shut down all running Microsoft Applications.

Can I use PowerShrink without having PowerPoint installed?
Yes PowerShrink does not require Microsoft PowerPoint or Office installed to run.

Can I drag the Office file onto the PowerShrink icon?
Yes you can simply drag the Office file onto the icon and the file will be put into the queue.

Once PowerShrink optimized a file can I undo the optimization?
No you will have to use the original file.

I get the pop up message Flatten embedded objects. What does it mean?
It is possible to insert different objects in an Office file, common used
objects are Excel, Word. If you choose to flatten your embedded objects they will be converted into a picture and not be editable anymore

What about the “keep videos” and “keep sounds” checkbox?
If you have embedded video or sound files (like .WAV, .AVI, .MPG) which should remain inside your documents during the compression progress you can exclude these files or the links to their external sources by enabling the checkboxes.

Why isn't PowerShrink compressing my PowerPoint, Word or Excel file?
There are many factors that can prevent compression. The most usual are that files only contain text or already have highly optimized images.

Will PowerShrink delete or destroy my original file?
No. PowerShrink creates a copy in a folder that you specify and also allows you to select the file name.

Can I integrate PowerShrink into my Windows environment?
Yes, PowerShrink has shell context menu integration that can be enabled in the software.

Can I integrate PowerShrink into my Microsoft applications?
Yes, PowerShrink can be run directly from the PowerPoint, Word or Excel application menu. The checkbox: Microsoft Office Integration must be enabled in PowerShrink settings

Can I integrate PowerShrink into my Microsoft Outlook?
Yes, PowerShrink can be used as Add-In in your Outlook Client. The checkbox: Microsoft Outlook Integration must be enabled in PowerShrink settings

Can I save compressed files on a network share?
Yes if you have sufficient rights to save files on the network share.

I have more than one e-Mail client installed. Which one will PowerShrink use?
PowerShrink will use the default mail client on your computer. You can change your default client settings from the properties settings in Internet Explorer.

What is Image cropping?
When you check this box in settings, PowerShrink will cut 5% from each border of the picture and save additional space. You can repeat this process as many times you want. Please note: After each cropping the picture will be stretched to its original size and gets less sharpen.

Why is the compression rate of the new Office 2007 file format smaller than the rate of normal Office files?
Office 2007 files are generally smaller compared to files created by previous versions. It has also its reason in the new XML extension.

When I extract images from a PowerPoint or Word or Excel file, where are the pictures stored?
Find the extracted pictures in the output folder which is set in the PowerShrink settings menu.