PowerPoint crash - graphic-related?

I'm editing text in presentations using PowerPoint 2003 on WinXP SP2. I seldom have a need for Excel, so I haven't had many opportunities to experience its behavior. When I try to open PPT files created by others -- presumably on newer systems -- the application crashes with some regularity. I think (though I'm not certain) it may be related to certain graphics file formats or perhaps to animations in the file. If I try to scroll to a certain page in an offending file, the application crashes (with the error message and automatic relaunch). If I don't scroll through the pages, sometimes I can print a PDF of the offending file to see all the content. In one instance I saved a PPT to be downwardly compatible with earlier versions and was able to view the entire presentation. Can anyone help me actually identify, diagnose and correct this error? Thanks!

Da Chunk

 

PowerPoint doen't like CMYK images. If you think you know which slide has the offending image. > Save As HTML and in the folder of dependants you get search out the image and remake it in RGB see if that helps.

 

but no cigar. It was a good starting point, though, and I thank you. Also, I should advise you that other PPTs from the same people have crashed in similar fashion. The image is RGB, and the original creators of the PPT (with the graphic) had no similar problems. My suspicion regarding graphics file types is based on navigating to the specific slide (while using PowerPoint, not as HTML where no such problem exists), seeing a graphics placeholder, then getting the Windows-generated error message.

After looking at the page HTML, and considering the presence of the placeholder in the native application, rather than the graphic, I'm beginning to wonder if the offending element is a command for the graphic to transition from hidden to visible, something I'd think would be a natural compatibility for PowerPoint. So, the error may be something external to the application... but that's just speculation on my part and I'd have no way of knowing where to go to resolve it if it is so.