PowerPoint 2013: Images in presentation disappear - and are replaced with 'The image part with relationship ID rId2 was not found in the file'

Greetings Everyone:

I have some information that may help those of you that (like me) were trying to update their version of PowerPoint, but were receiving the message that everything related to Windows and its applications/programs IS up to date, even though your version of PowerPoint was less than the versions indicated as those that corrected the image disappearance problem. 

My issue was with my work computer and after discussing this update issue with my administrator, I learned the following information, which may apply to you also. He also resolved my update issue and I now have the most current version of PowerPoint (current as of the time of this writing, August 2015). This probably only applies to the Windows operating system, but it may also apply to Macs. I'm not a Mac user, I don't know.

I realize my information does not use the proper esoteric IT terminology, but since I'm also not an IT person, I am keeping it understandable for people like me. So, here goes. There are actually different levels of updates that are sent to computers. In the working world, if your administrator configured your firewall and computers like mine did, there are updates that are allowed to install themselves automatically or after you (a typical 'user') manually starts the installation following a prompt of some sort. However, there are other updates that are blocked due to how your computer update function is configured, or 'saved' to a location other than your computer.

So, for my computer (and maybe for yours), the message that everything is up to date only applies to those updates that are allowed to install themselves automatically or following a manual installation prompt for you (a regular user) to install them. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT ALL AVAILABLE UPDATES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED. For me, the PowerPoint version updates were indeed being blocked from automatic installation and were sneakily hiding where only my administrator could retrieve and install them.

To check for the updates that may be 'waiting' in a holding server (or wherever in the ether they reside), your administrator (or you, if you have the proper permissions), must perform a separate, manual update check. This is done through the Windows Control Panel.

For your work computer, if you navigate to the Windows Update command from the Control Panel, you will most likely see "You receive updates: Managed by your system administrator." Contrast this with my personal computer which displays "You receive updates: For Windows and other products from Microsoft Update." Obviously, the work computer message indicates a configured update system that is managed by your administrator.

I don't want to provide further instructions on how to download and/or install updates if your updates are supposed to be managed by your system administrator. Rather, if you do see that message, contact your system administrator and have them install the appropriate updates that meet you and/or your company's needs and standards. If you perform the administrator updates, you may unintentionally update an application or program that will cause other issues for you. For example, you may download the most current version of Internet Explorer and negatively impact a browser-based application or program that runs only on a earlier version of IE. Then you will have to contact your administrator and suffer their white-hot (but righteous!) wrath while they uninstall your updates and reinstall the proper ones.

When my administrator performed his 'magic' and retrieved all the updates that I could not install as a user, I wound up with 63 updates, one of which was the PowerPoint version update. 

The version designated as the one in which this image problem was resolved is 15.0.4613.1000.

The version that installed on my computer by the administrator action is 15.0.4727.1001.

It looks like more than one version was issued between the one I received and that one that (allegedly) resolves the image problem.

This update was performed approximately two months ago (June 2015) on my computer and my coworker's computer. Note that it was my coworker that experienced the image disappearance problem and I got involved trying to help him troubleshoot the problem. I never experienced this problem (thank goodness). I had my administrator update both computers and my coworker has not had the problem reappear. I hesitate to say that it has actually resolved the problem as we are only two data points and don't use PowerPoint often enough that I have utmost confidence that it actually has been resolved. 

Bottom line is that IF the newer versions did resolve the problem and IF you are scratching your head wondering why your computer is telling you that everything is up to date even though you know it's not, this post may help you get the new versions located and installed.

Good luck and drink beer.

Does not work for me. I am updated to 15.0.4745 and still cannot see images sent by colleagues which were copy pasted by them into PPT. 

Interestingly, previewing them within Outllook lets me see images but not once they are opened within Powerpoint 2013.

What about Macs?

I'm working at a company that made a major switch from Office 2011 to Office 365 recently.

The build 15.1.13 I think.

We are starting to experiencing the issue and it's a really huge deal because we do a lot of presentation design on a day to day basis, and we have already lost work because of this bug.

You probably want to ask that here:

in the Mac Office section of this forum