I'm having an issue with PowerPoint crashing when it opens certain PowerPoint files. PowerPoint is installed in a Remote Desktop farm. It also only seems to crashed when this PowerPoint file is downloaded from a website and then opened. If copy an offending file to the desktop it opens fine. The error I'm getting is below. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

My version of Office 2010 is 14.0.7015.1000.

Problem signature:

  Problem Event Name:                        APPCRASH

  Application Name:                             POWERPNT.EXE

  Application Version:                           14.0.4754.1000

  Application Timestamp:                     4b967cf0

  Fault Module Name:                          gfx.dll

  Fault Module Version:                        14.0.4750.1000

  Fault Module Timestamp:                  4b8bae2e

  Exception Code:                                  c0000005

  Exception Offset:                                000053ec

  OS Version:                                          6.1.7601.2.1.0.144.8

  Locale ID:                                             1033

Additional information about the problem:

  LCID:                                                     1033

  skulcid:                                                 1033

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Hi Vincent Sprague,

Based on your event log message, your issue might be caused by gfx.dll file.

Gfx.dll is a type of DLL file associated with 3ds Max developed by Autodesk, Inc. for the Windows Operating System. The latest known version of Gfx.dll is 11.0.0.57, which was produced for Windows. This DLL file carries a popularity rating of 1 stars and a security rating of "UNKNOWN".

Most gfx.dll errors are related to missing or corrupt gfx.dll files. Because gfx.dll is an external file, it presents a great opportunity for something undesirable to occur.

Improperly shutting down your PC or getting a virus infection could corrupt the gfx.dll, which could lead to DLL errors. When your gfx.dll file becomes corrupt, it cannot be loaded properly and will present an error message.

Other times, gfx.dll file errors could be related to issues in the Windows registry. Broken DLL file references can prevent your DLL file from registering properly, giving you a gfx.dll error. These broken registry keys can be as a result of a missing DLL file, moved DLL file, or an leftover DLL file reference in your Windows registry from an unsuccessful software installation or uninstallation.

To fix this gfx.dll error you can try these methods.

Method 1: Manually Register Gfx.dll Using Microsoft Register Server

When you install software that uses the gfx.dll dependency, the software should automatically register the file for you. In some cases your DLL file may not register properly, and as a result, will provide a "gfx.dll not registered" error. Fortunately, you can use a built-in utility called "Microsoft Register Server" (regsvr32.exe) to re-register your gfx.dll file.

How to re-register gfx.dll from an elevated command prompt (Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type "command" in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
3. While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
4. You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
5. Click Yes.
6. Type the following command: regsvr32 /u gfx.dll.
7. Hit ENTER. This will UN-REGISTER your file.
8. Type the following command: regsvr32 /i gfx.dll.
9. Hit ENTER. This will RE-REGISTER your file.
10. Close the command prompt window.
11. Re-start the program associated with gfx.dll error.

Method 2: Replace the old gfx.dll file with a new one

To avoid the gfx.dll error issue which is caused by the corruption of invalid version of this file, you can choose to reinstall a new gfx.dll file on the computer system. The gfx.dll file only can work smoothly when it is in the right place, by default, this file should locate in the following places with different Windows operating system: C:\Windows\System32

• Firstly, you should do a backup of the current gfx.dll file (you can change its name as gfx_backup[.dll)
• And then, install the new gfx.dll file you download online or copy from another computer with the same system version
• Click on Start > Run> Type CMD and press Enter
• Start_run
• Type regsvr32 gfx.dll and press Enter

Please refer to this link to get more information about how to fix Gfx.dll.

http://www.solvusoft.com/en/files/missing-not-found-error/dll/windows/autodesk-inc/3ds-max/gfx-dll/

Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Hope its helpful.

Regards,

George Zhao
TechNet Community Support

So far the only thing I have found that resolves the issue has been to update Office to SP2. The issue happens on multiple machines so it is not a single corrupt gfx.dll file. I tried to replace the old dll file with the newer SP2 gfx.dll but that did not work so there is some other dependency in SP2 that appears to resolve the issue.