Excel no longer allows formulas containing division "/" operator

[SA]

I am using Excel 2002 and Windows XP Pro. Recently excel stopped
allowing me to enter formulas containing the "/" operator. So when I
enter +3/4 or =3/4 I get an error. If I enter 3 in A1 and 4 in B1,
then try to enter the =A1/B1 or +A1/B1 I get an error.

If I open an existing spreadsheet that contains division formulas,
they work fine, but if I try to enter a new formula in that
spreadsheet I get the error "The formula you are trying to enter
contains an error." for the new formula only. So obviously there is a
problem with excel's recognition of "/". By the way all other
operators "+", "-", "*", "^", etc, etc work just fine.

This problem occurs only in my user profile in Windows XP, I can
easily enter the same division formulas when I do so under another
user's account in widnows XP.

I tried "Detect and Error", removing and re-installing excel, removing
2002 and re-installing excel 2000, but I always have the same problem
in my user account.(which I never had before until recently)

Recently I was trying some demo programs of various accounting
software and I wonder if one of them changed my settings or left a
library behind that is causing this problem.

Any ideas?

Please reply to my email address: (e-mail address removed)

Thanks,

akbaris

 

[Jan Karel Pieterse]

Hi Sa,

Recently excel stopped
allowing me to enter formulas containing the "/" operator.

Look in Excel´s Tools, Options. There should be an International Tab.
Check if there is an unexpected entry there (especially involving the
division operator "/").

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP