Date Format Not Working

[GirafeLady]

I inherited an huge Excel spreadsheet and have come across the
strangest issue I've ever seen! I have a columns dedicated to "Date Rec'd"
and "Date Sent" and all cells are formatted to mm/dd/yy. However, when I type
in the date, a totally unrelated number appears (e.g., 4/4/2006 appears as
38811)!! I've unlocked all cells, but that hasn't helped. When I select Text
as opposed to
Date, the 38811 number appears ... all other format options show the 38811!
I also have cells formatted as Currency, 2 decimals, show $ sign and the
formatting is being ignored here, as well.

I'm completely stumped ... can anyone out here offer a solution/suggestion?

Thanks!
~Mary

 

[Duke Carey]

How huge is huge?

If it is a HUGE ENOUGH file, I suppose it is possible that Excel just can't
garner the resources to format those cells properly.

Is it possible to archive some of the information and cut the file size down
some?

What version of Excel are you using, by the way.

 

[GirafeLady]

Hi Duke,

Thanks for the quick response. It's Office 2000, and the document is an
accounting of August's corporate payables, so it cannot be cut down -- and
actually, I've taken a closer look at its size and it's only 305 rows by
Column J, so I guess "huge" was an overstatement. I'm a temp here and it
turns out there were two others before me, so it's possible the file is
corrupted. Since August is nearly over, the company says it will start a
brand new spreadsheet on September 1; if the problem persists, then it's
probably an IT issue.

Again, thanks for your input. Have a super day!
~Mary

 

[Dave Peterson]

Maybe you're looking at formulas:

Tools|Options|view tab|uncheck formulas.

 

[GirafeLady]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the suggestion ... unfortunately, it didn't change anything.
Since posting my questions, I've been informed that it's just an internal
document and won't even be printed. The company just wants me to proceed
as-is until we can get into the new September worksheet -- which, by the way,
I've already set up and all formats are working!! So, as I mentioned
previously, I think the file is corrupted.

Thanks a bunch to you & Duke for your responses! I'll be sure to check this
Bulletin Board next time I have an issue.

Have an awesome day!
~Mary

 

[GirafeLady]

Tsk! I goofed, Dave -- I unchecked the wrong "Formulas" box ... I looked at
the steps to your suggestion, again, and noticed that I had unchecked Formula
BAR in Show, instead of Formulas in the Windows Options section -- IT
WORKED!!

AWESOME ... THANK YOU!!