XL: Crash Canceling Select Sheet Dialog Box for Change Links

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if you cancel the Select Sheet dialog box that appears when you choose to change the source of a link on a chart in your document, the following may occur:

Microsoft Excel for Windows

   You receive a general protection (GP) fault.

   -or-

   The new source file that you selected in the Change Links dialog box
   appears in the Source File list along with the original source file. If
   you select the new source file and change the source again to this new
   source file, you receive a general protection (GP) fault.

Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh

   The new source file that you selected in the Change Links dialog box
   appears in the Source File list along with the original source file. If
   you select the new source file and change the source again to this new
   source file, you receive the following error message:

      Sorry, a system error occurred.
      "Microsoft Excel"
      error type 11

Microsoft Excel for Windows NT

   You receive the following error message

      External link is not valid

   and you are not able to change the source of the link to the new file.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if you change the source of a link on a chart, if the new source file that you select does not contain a worksheet with the same name as the source worksheet.

For example, if your chart data is linked to [BOOK2]Sheet1!A1, the Select Sheet dialog box appears when you change the source of the link if BOOK1.XLS does not contain a worksheet with the name Sheet1.

In Microsoft Excel for Windows, if the chart is embedded on a worksheet, you receive a GP fault if you choose Cancel in the Select Sheet dialog box.

In Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, or Microsoft Excel for Windows with a chart sheet, if you cancel the Select Sheet dialog box, the new source file appears in the Source File list, but does not replace the previous source file.

Note that this problem only occurs with linked data on a chart; it does not occur with linked data on a worksheet.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this problem, do not cancel the Select Sheet dialog box when you change the source file for a link on your chart.

To change the source file for a link on your chart, you can do the following:

1. Open the workbook that you want to use for the new link.

2. Open the file that contains your chart.

3. On the chart, select the data point for which you want to change the source.

4. In the formula bar, select the reference to the currently linked file.

5. From the Window menu, choose the new source file.

6. On the new source worksheet, select the range you want to use as the source, and press ENTER.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The Select Sheet dialog box appears when you choose a new source workbook if the new source does not contain a sheet with the same name as the currently linked sheet. This dialog box allows you to choose the name of the worksheet to which you want to link.

Note that if you use the Change Links dialog box to select a new source workbook that does not contain a worksheet with the same name as the linked worksheet, you receive the following error message if the new source workbook is closed:

   External reference is not valid

REFERENCES

For more information about redirecting links to source documents, choose the Search button in Help and type:

   links, remote, redirecting to moved or renamed