Excel changing number formatting and source data in graphs on it's own!!!

[JohnHamer]

Office costing me a lot of time.
2 problems:

1. excel, graphs loosing there formatting eg. going from "date"
formatting to "4E+04" formatting.

2. this is a major problem...
graphs are changing there own source data locations eg. from "data
range" to "series" and if you click back to the data range tab it pops
up with an error saying...
***Referance not valid. Referance must be to an open worksheet***
Doesn't make sense as it actually should be refering to information
that's in the page thats open and I am working on.


(Just in case this helps (if there's some sort of strange office
glitch) I also have minor problem in word, I can normally cut and paste
images into word but they are coming up blank. the space is there where
the image should be but no actual picture. If that's related to the
Excel probs I don't know, doubt it but you never know).

The Excel probs are urgent and important as this is part of my everyday
job function and I heavily rely on excel spreadsheets and graphs.

I am using a Dell Optiplex GX280 running Win XP Pro using Excel 2002.


PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

Thanks,
John Hamer
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Anne Troy]

John: The first thing I would do is clean up the hard drive. Too many temp
files (not talking about temp internet files) can really cause otherwise
inexplicable issues anywhere and everywhere. This is my best guess for what
your problem is. See:
http://www.officearticles.com/misc/how_to_clean_up_your_hard_drive.htm
Otherwise, I'd say your workbook might be corrupt, and I'd probably remove
the charts, copy the worksheets to a new workbook, and rebuild the charts.
See:
http://www.officearticles.com/excel/copy_sheets_to_another_workbook_in_microsoft_excel.htm
For your Word issue, see:
http://www.officearticles.com/word/missing_graphics_in_microsoft_word.htm
There's also Word and Excel troubleshooting steps at the site.
************
Anne Troy
www.OfficeArticles.com

 

[JohnHamer]

THANK YOU!!!

Just copying it into a new sheet didn't work.

BUT...
I was in the middle of rebuilding the spreadsheets as I was thinking
along the same lines but I couldn't afford for it to happen again hence
this post!!!

I permanently deleted the old spreadsheet.
And our IT guy deleted all temp folders.

Rebooted and it was fine!!!

The word thing I don't know about yet as it's an intermittent thing
just annoying (putting the images into a text box helps), that doesn't
really matter but the Excel thing was critical so thanks again.

John Hamer