Bizarre Problem with Copy/Paste

[totallyfake1]

Hi Excel Gurus,

Got an odd problem which seems to have cropped up. I am used to
selecting a cell and hitting ^C to copy the formula in it, then ^V to
paste that formula somewhere else. And... as I recall, the cell I
selected for copying would stay selected (ie, it would keep the little
dashed border around it).

Recently, however, when I select a cell, it automatically deselects
itself (the dashed border turns into a solid border) within a second or
so and what gets copied to the clipboard is only the exact value in
that cell, nothing else. In other words, "Paste Special" only offers
me "Text" and "Unicode Text" as paste options, not formula, formatting,
etc.

This makes excel not very useful! I don't know what I could have done
to change this!?

Any ideas?

 

[Dave Peterson]

It sounds like you're copying from a workbook that's open in a different
instance of excel.

If you close that workbook, then use File|Open to open it (in the first
instance), you should see the "Normal" paste special options.

 

[totallyfake1]

Hi.

Thanks. I tried that and I'm getting the same thing. Also, I notice
now that Cut/Paste is broken too. The cell I select for cutting
deselects itself and after I paste, it remains intact (ie, it isn't
cut, instead, its value is simply copied). Goofy!

 

[Dave Peterson]

I'm not giving up...

The next time you have this problem, click on Window (on the worksheet menu
bar). Do you see both workbook names at the bottom of the dropdown?

I'm still guessing you don't. I'm guessing that those two workbooks are open in
separate instances.

(I've never seen it fail when both workbooks are open in the same instance.)

 

[totallyfake1]

Hi Dave,

I think I must have expressed myself poorly. I am not copy/pasting
between 2 workbooks or even worksheets. I am just trying to paste from
1 arbitrary cell to another. The problem happens in existing workbooks
as well as in new workbooks.

I have now noticed that on cuts, if I paste quick enough (before the
selection resets itself [<< 1 sec]), then it works (ie, the original
cell contents are removed and pasted to the new cell).

I should probably also mention that I am using Excel 2003, SP1 on XP
Pro, SP2.

Thanks!

 

[Dave Peterson]

Are you copying from the formula bar?

If yes, then paste into the formula bar.

I don't have a guess about the problem with cuts...

Hi Dave,

I think I must have expressed myself poorly. I am not copy/pasting
between 2 workbooks or even worksheets. I am just trying to paste from
1 arbitrary cell to another. The problem happens in existing workbooks
as well as in new workbooks.

I have now noticed that on cuts, if I paste quick enough (before the
selection resets itself [<< 1 sec]), then it works (ie, the original
cell contents are removed and pasted to the new cell).

I should probably also mention that I am using Excel 2003, SP1 on XP
Pro, SP2.

Thanks!

 

[totallyfake1]

OK. I figured it out.

Turns out this problem was due to my VNC client interfering with the
cut/paste operations. Presumably this is related to its system for
copying/pasting between the local and remote windows. I guess it
"captures" the selection in the dumbest form it can (text). Exit the
client and all is well again.

For future googlers: excel vnc cut paste copy deselect broken selection

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the follow up.