Charts GONE after Windows XP SP3 Update!?!

[Mike Thompson]

I have Office 2007 SP1 Enterprise Edition and, until last night, Windows XP
Professonal SP2 installed on my PC. Last night I went through the normal
Microsoft Update site to upgrade to SP3 and everything seemed to go well.
However, I noticed this morning that all of my Excel files I have that
previously had worksheets on them showing charts are not displaying those
charts at all. The worksheets that they were on are still in the files, but
the charts themselves seem to have disappeared. Has this happened to anyone
else and does anyone know of a way to resolve this? Thanks...

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

I don't know of any issue.

Can you create charts in new workbooks? If so do this display after saving,
closing and re-opening?
Do the charts re-appear if opened on a non xp3 machine?

You could check the setting Tools > Options > View > Show Objects > Show All

Cheers
Andy

 

[Mike Thompson]

Hello Andy,

First of all, thank you for the quick reply. So creating charts from a new
worksheet doesn't work either. I created sample data on one worksheet and
inserted a chart object on that same worksheet based on that sample data.
That seemed to work fine and created the line chart without issue. However,
when I right clicked the chart and selected 'Move Chart...' to move it to a
new worksheet of its own, that worksheet was created, but was apparently
blank with the chart having been removed from the original worksheet, but
apparently not making it over to the new one.

Regarding checking my settings, where would I find the Tools menu item
(remember this is Office 2007, not 2003). Perhaps this is just my relative
unfamiliarity with the 2007 product line showing though.

Anyway, any advice would obviously be much appreciated.

Regards,
Mike

 

[Andy Pope]

Hi,

My bad, I missed the 2007 reference. The setting would be,
Office Button > Excel Options > Advanced > Display Options fr this
workbook. But this is not the problem as you say you can create chart
objects.

Do you have a printer installed?

Cheers
Andy

 

[Mike Thompson]

No problem. By the way, all display options are checked (except for page
breaks). And yes, I do have a printer installed. Like I said, the only
thing that's different is that I could see my charts before the SP3 upgrade
and afterwards I can't. I consider myself fairly adept with computers but
this thing's got me baffled...

 

[Ed Smith]

I've had the same annoying problem and am unable to move any chart to its own
sheet, without it disappearing. I noticed that when I enable the "local area
connection" (to the internet), then I am able to successfully move charts to
their own sheet.

Normally, I like to operate standalone (not connected to the internet) and
when I do so, Excel 2007 has this problem. If I then enable the internet
connection, within a minute or so I can move the charts. At this point, even
if I drop the internet link, the charts can still be moved. However, once I
close Excel and then restart it, I once again can no longer move the charts!

It's almost as if my Excel installation is lacking something, and by
connecting to the internet it is able to find what it needs??

Regards,

Ed

 

[Ed Smith]

Just to follow up on my earlier communication:

I have a networked printer (Brother Laser). It appears that the printer is
what Excel is looking for, but can't find, when I have the LAN disabled. If
Excel can't find the default printer, apparently it doesn't know how to draw
the chart!!

Ed

 

[Bill (troutlark)]

Dear Ed Smith -
You are totally correct - Excel won't move a chart to a separate sheet if
it's "confused" by the installed printers on the PC.
I had the same problem you did: when I tried to move a chart to a new sheet,
the sheet would be created, but it would be blank.
Then I read your post.
I uninstalled an old default printer driver (printer's gone to that place in
the sky, ya know), and installed a valid driver for a local printer.
Then Excel moved charts to new sheets just fine.
Go figure!!!!!!!
- Bill Bateman