Excel 2000 formulas won't copy

[ramasson]

I am using Excel 2000 (yeah, I know it's old) and am having a problem
copying formulas. Normally when you copy a formula, you highlight the
cell, press ctrl-C or 'edit/copy' and the border of the cell blinks/
winks (or whatever you want to call it), then you move to a new cell
and press ctrl-V or 'edit/paste' and the formula copies. I'm not
getting the blinky/winky when I press ctrl-c (actually I get one blink
and that's it) and when I move cells and press ctrl-v I get the cell
value copied, not the formula.
Any ideas??

 

[Shane Devenshire]

Hi,

Possible there are macros in the file which are interfering with the
command. Is the Edit, Copy command available?

It's really important to determine what is actually going on, but in the
meantime you can probably copy by holding down the Ctrl and dragging the
border of the cell you want to copy to the location where you want to paste
it.

To try to find the problem:
1. Close all Excel files except the one with the problem
2. Choose Window and see if the Unhide command is available - if it is there
is a hidden file open, probably Personal.xls.
3. Open the VB Editor - press Alt+F11
4. If the Project Explorer window is open in the top left expand the folder
under your file, if the window is not displayed press Ctrl+r to display it.
5. If there is a Modules folder expand it and double click on each of the
module and see if there is any code.
6. Also, double-click each of the object in the Excel folder (Sheet1,
Sheet2,..., thisWorkbook) and check for code.

You may need to do this for the Personal.xls file if you have one.

In all cases you are looking for code which might be preventing the
execution the normal copy and paste commands.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'm not sure why the marqee (or marching ants) goes away, but it sounds like you
have your workbooks open in different instances of excel.

Close one instance and open the second workbook in the running instance of
excel. Then try your copy|paste.

 

[ramasson]

I'm not sure why the marqee (or marching ants) goes away, but it sounds like you
have your workbooks open in different instances of excel.

Close one instance and open the second workbook in the running instance of
excel.  Then try your copy|paste.

I know it doesn't have anything to do with anything else being opened
in Excel. To verify that, I just tried the simplest of experiments. I
opened excel, created new, blank workbook, put 1, 2, 3 in cells a1,
a2, a3 and 4, 5, 6 in cells b1, b2, b3. In cell c1 I entered the
formula =SUM(A1:B1). With cell c1 still highlighted, if I either hit
ctrl-C or right click and select 'copy' or select 'edit', 'copy' I get
the quick marque (/marching ants), then it's gone. If I then click on
C2 and hit ctrl-V or select 'edit', 'paste' I get the number, not the
formula copied. If I do a ctrl/drag of the cell border, the number,
not the formula is copied.
If I drag the + in the lower right corner down to C2 the formula
copies as expected. That's the only time a formula copies instead of
the value being copied.
There is something fundamentally wrong with excel and how copying a
cell works. The 'copy' function just doesn't seem to work.

 

[Dave Peterson]

So you're copying from a worksheet to the same worksheet and you have the
trouble?

Try testing while excel is in safe mode:

close excel
windows start button|run
type:
excel /safe
and then do your testing.

If it works there, then I bet you do have something else going on--could be a
worksheet, workbook or application event that's "helping".

If it is a macro that's stealing the function, you'll have to do some detective
work.

Chip Pearson has some notes on how to diagnose startup errors:
http://www.cpearson.com/excel/StartupErrors.htm

And Jan Karel Pieterse has more notes:
http://www.jkp-ads.com/Articles/StartupProblems.asp

======
In fact, if I recall correctly, there's a mainframe (AS400???) addin that
sometimes causes this problem. The bad news is I don't recall the name of it
(or if it really is a mainframe addin).

If you find the troublesome addin, please post back with its name.

Thanks.

 

[ramasson]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Tried safe mode, no change....
No add-ins enabled, but temporarily moved all add-ins to another
directory, no change....
Checked out the two links and although mine is not a startup type
problem, I tried several of the suggestions; unregserver/regserver and
temporarily moved .xlb file, no change.....

I think tomorrow I'm going to try un-installing and re-installing my
whole office suite and see if that fixes it.

Dick
===================================

 

[ramasson]

Tried a complete un-install/re-boot/re-install. No change I just can't
copy.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'd still look for that addin.

Tried a complete un-install/re-boot/re-install. No change I just can't
copy.

 

[ramasson]

I said earlier, I tried temporarily moving all of the add-ins to
another directory, no change. No add-ins are selected on the add-ins
menu.

Dick
=========================

 

[Dave Peterson]

Do you an emulator to get to a mainframe?

If you do, look in that emulator program for options for copy|pasting.

 

[ramasson]

No emulator, and this is all on a local PC.

Do you an emulator to get to a mainframe?

If you do, look in that emulator program for options for copy|pasting.








--

Dave Peterson- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'm out of guesses.

No emulator, and this is all on a local PC.