Can't get an swf file to play

Question

I am working on my first flash site. I have a main site that
uses several swf files that were created seperately. One of them is
a menu bar that I designed outside the main site, and I imported it
using "Import to stage". It works just as it should. I also have a
button that I defined outside my main site, and I imported it in
the same way.
But now I am trying to import a slideshow that I created
outside the main site, and it will not work. The import happens
without error, and I can see the slideshow, but I can't get the
move to play. This is the kind of slideshow that has thumbnails
continuously scrolling at the bottom, so the user can pick one to
be displayed in a larger slide above the thumbnail.
Do I have to use a preloader instead of using "Import to
stage"? I have seen several tutorials describing how to create a
preloader, and I think I can do that without too much trouble. I
would just like to know if that is NECESARRY, and that "Import to
Stage" is limited in its capabilities in some way.
Thanks for any advice you can give.

Answer 1

I am using "this" in the slideshow files. That does not
present the same scoping problem as "root" does, does it?
Also, I have noticed that, with the other swf files that I
have imported to the stage (a menu I created, for instance), the
structure of the file remains in tact when I import it. The layers
retain their names, the actionscript is there, etc. But, when I
import the slideshow swf file, the layer structure is very
different from the original swf file. And, most importantly, I
can't find any of the actionscript that is in the original file.
So, I must be exporting slideshow to .swf incorrectly. I have
checked all the settings, and they appear to be the same as when I
export the menu to .swf but, the results are very different.
Very frustrating...