XL97: Error or Chart Disappears When You Open a Lotus WK4 File

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows, Service Release 1 (SR-1)

SYMPTOMS

When you open a Lotus 1-2-3 WK4 file in Microsoft Excel 97, you may receive the following error message:

   This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   EXCEL caused an invalid page fault in module EXCEL.EXE at
   0137:30499502.

CAUSE

These problems occur if all of the following conditions are true:

• You save the file as a Microsoft Excel workbook.

      -and-
  

• You save the file in the Lotus 1-2-3 WK4 file format.

      -and-
  

• There are one or more embedded charts in a worksheet in the file.

       -and-
  

• When you open the file, the worksheet that contains the chart is not the active worksheet.

  For example, a file called Test.wk4 contains an embedded chart in Sheet2, but Sheet1 is the active worksheet when you open the file. If Sheet1 contains an embedded chart or if Sheet2 is the active worksheet, the problem does not occur.

WORKAROUND

Microsoft Excel 97

If this problem occurs in Microsoft Excel 97, do not open the WK4 file in Microsoft Excel 97. To work around this problem, use either of the following methods:

• Open the WK4 file in Lotus 1-2-3, change the active worksheet to a worksheet that contains an embedded chart, and then resave the file. After you do this, you can open the file in Microsoft Excel 97.
• Obtain Microsoft Excel 97 SR-1. The illegal operation and invalid page fault do not occur in Microsoft Excel 97 SR-1. However, you must use the workaround in the "Microsoft Excel 97 SR-1" section in this article.

  For additional information about SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q172475
        TITLE     : OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1
  
  

Microsoft Excel 97 SR-1

If this problem occurs in Microsoft Excel 97 SR-1, you can open the WK4 file. To work around the problem in which embedded charts disappear, open the WK4 file in Lotus 1-2-3, change the active worksheet to a worksheet that contains an embedded chart, and then resave the file.

NOTE: You may also recreate the charts. If you do this, make sure that the active worksheet contains an embedded chart if you save the file in the WK4 file format.

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.