Windows 7 running Office 2013. Mature installation no recent changes.

Simple update to ppt file created in 2003 ( using Compatibility mode). Single user edit saving to my documents 

Error Message "We're sorry something went wrong that might make PowerPoint Unstable" / "Please save your presentations and restart PowerPoint"

PowerPoint no longer allows me to save any file in any format without this message.

Actions taken : Restart PowerPoint / Reboots / Deletion of temporary files from C:/Windows/Temp

Problem persists

Hi,

Where is the PowerPoint file saved? Is it on local drive or on shared location?

Did the issue only occur in one PPT file created in PowerPoint 2003? If it was, please start Powerpoint in safe mode(Hold "Ctrl" key and click into the program), create a new presentation, copy the contents to the new one to check.

If all the PPT files created in PowerPoint 2003 occurred the issue, please try to do a repair for your Office suites in Control panel>Program and features>Office>Change>Repair.

Some of our customers solve the issue by deleting and Excel inserted pie chart. Just check if it helps you.

Regards,

George Zhao
TechNet Community Support

• Edited by George.Zhao CHNMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Monday, March 03, 2014 8:53 AM
• Marked as answer by George.Zhao CHNMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Tuesday, March 11, 2014 9:47 AM

I am having the same problem

MS OFF CAT advised it was an issue with WIDCOMM BT (bluetooth)

Removed it and let Win7 install bluetooth.

Now the same problem.

WHEN Narrating voice, PP refuses to save in any format, in any location. My work is simply lost. I have now lost over 30 hours of work to this issue. That's what I get for installing the latest office on an HP Win7 machine? 

I am a single user on a single HP laptop with Win7, 4 gigs ram, one SSD drive, 43 gigs free. I wonder if the SSD drive is causing problems. I had issues with Outlook 2003 and the SSD and so upgraded to OFfice 2013.

Now outlook works and PP fails!!!

I had a customer experiencing this error message.  They were using a Dell Latitude laptop.  Found the problem to be with the Bluetooth Add-in.  

Went to File --> Options --> Add-Ins and then at the bottom, Clicked Go with Com Add-ins selected.  I then unchecked the Bluetooth Add-in and after that no further issues.

• Proposed as answer by SteveS23452345 Wednesday, January 21, 2015 5:09 PM
• Unproposed as answer by SteveS23452345 Wednesday, January 21, 2015 5:10 PM

I have to say, that it is pretty lame that George marked his own response as an answer with no response from the OP. He is offering troubleshooting steps that may or may not lead to an answer, not an answer per se.

But I'll try your steps and see if they help me, George.

I'll also look into the bluetooth thing, but my issue is on a desktop and I don't believe it has bluetooth.

• Proposed as answer by Matt Pipke Monday, January 12, 2015 2:17 AM
• Unproposed as answer by Matt Pipke Monday, January 12, 2015 2:17 AM

I had this problem with Win81, PowerPoint 2013, pptx file, no system/software changes or updates that could be blamed. Out of the blue working on an existing document, messages as OP wrote started plaguing PPT. Brand new pptx files created with benign random text also suffered from this. A save or two within the first 30 seconds of opening or creating the file sometimes went ok, but problem appears inevitably - implicating file lock issue.

There is remarkably little commonality in resolutions of this on the web, and no resolution from MS. 

Tried many of the suggestions that can be found - no joy.

Finally isolated this to the live sync on DropBox.  If DropBox is active (immediately syncing changes in the background), the problem persists. If DropBox is paused, the problem ceases. DropBox does not need to be removed or exited. If unpaused, problem immediately starts again. Have not been able to check if other syncing cloud drives have same effect.

What's disturbing is that the DropBox/PowerPoint combination on this machine has been working fine for 1+ years. Turning off DropBox is not an acceptable solution. Perhaps a silent update of one or the other occurred to cause this. 

This solved it for me. Thanks!

This solution worked for me as well. The only caveat is that once I unpaused the active syncing with dropbox, I was still able to save the powerpoint file. Cheers for the solution!

Do you have graphs which are linked to excel?  Did said excel workbook crash?  If you reopened the recovered it could be looking the original file.  Delete the graph and link from the recovered file and it fixes my problem every time.