Upgrade to 2002 Problem

[bw]

I recently used the Microsoft Site to upgrade my software from 2000 to 2002. Everything
seemed to have gone well, except I now experience an anoying problem with Excel.

Example:
In a blank worksheet, I enter 500 in cell A1. In Cell B1, I enter "=A1/5" without the
quotes, and the value displayed is 100.

Now if I go to cell B1 and delete the leading "=" so that the cell value should be "A1/5",
Excel generates a custom format "B2d-mmm" and the value shown on the formula bar is
"3/8/2003", and the value shown in the cell is some apparent Arabic writing and the
number 5.

Irritating to say the least. Can someone explain what's happening and how to fix this so
that the cell format is "General" like it always was before this?

Thanks much,
Bernie

 

[Harlan Grove]

I recently used the Microsoft Site to upgrade my software from 2000 to 2002.
Everything seemed to have gone well, except I now experience an anoying
problem with Excel.

Example:
In a blank worksheet, I enter 500 in cell A1. In Cell B1, I enter "=A1/5"
without the quotes, and the value displayed is 100.

Now if I go to cell B1 and delete the leading "=" so that the cell value
should be "A1/5", Excel generates a custom format "B2d-mmm" and the value
shown on the formula bar is "3/8/2003", and the value shown in the cell is
some apparent Arabic writing and the number 5.

...

This has been discussed before. See

http://www.google.com/[email protected]

and

http://www.google.com/[email protected]

Just another case of thoroughly stupid default behavior in Microsoft software.


For anyone using Excel 2003

 

[bw]

I'm sending this again, as it has not appeared in the new group.
See below...

...
...

This has been discussed before. See

http://www.google.com/groups?threadm=ON193i6nDHA.3316% 40TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl
24a401280a%40phx.gbl

Just another case of thoroughly stupid default behavior in Microsoft software.


For anyone using Excel 2003
---------------------------
Is there a new checkbox in the Options dialog to disable/enable this
'functionality'? Is this 'functionality' disabled by default?

--
Never attach files.
Snip unnecessary quoted text.
Never multipost (though crossposting is usually OK).
Don't change subject lines because it corrupts Google newsgroup archives.

Thanks for the response Harlan.

I modified the registry key as indicated at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=812385 but this DID NOT fix the problem.

The registry values are now as follows:
Name: x19_hijri
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 0x00000001 (1)

Do you have another suggestion for fixing this?

Thanks,
Bernie

 

[Harlan Grove]

I'm sending this again, as it has not appeared in the new group.
See below...
??

I modified the registry key as indicated at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=812385 but this DID NOT fix the problem.

The registry values are now as follows:
Name: x19_hijri
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 0x00000001 (1)

Do you have another suggestion for fixing this?

Did you quit Excel, make this change, then rerun Excel?

There's an off chance the KB article is wrong. For the heck of it, quit Excel,
change this Registry value to zero (0), then rerun Excel.

 

[bw]

...

Did you quit Excel, make this change, then rerun Excel?

There's an off chance the KB article is wrong. For the heck of it, quit Excel,
change this Registry value to zero (0), then rerun Excel.

Yes sir, I quit Excel, made the change, then did Excel again.

I have now changed the Data value to zero (didn't work) and now back to one (1) again.

Frustrating....

Bernie

 

[Harlan Grove]

...
......

I should have seen this before. The name above seems to be an x followed by a
numeral one (1) rather than a lower case L (l). Make absolutely certain the name
in your Registry is xl9_hijri - all lower case letters except for the 9 and the
underscore.

 

[bw]

...
...
...

I should have seen this before. The name above seems to be an x followed by a
numeral one (1) rather than a lower case L (l). Make absolutely certain the name
in your Registry is xl9_hijri - all lower case letters except for the 9 and the
underscore.

Thanks for sticking with me Harlan, IT WORKS!

The funny thing about this is that I questioned that character myself, and had my wife
look at it also. We compared that character with the same character in the registry key
that reads \10.0\Excel\Options in the instructions on Microsoft's support page, and we
agreed...they are the same!

I don't know how you knew it was a lower case L instead of a one (1), but you did, and it
solved the problem.

Much appreciation for your help...

Bernie

 

[Gord Dibben]

Bernie

You must re-boot your computer for this registry change to take effect.

At least, that was my experience with this.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Nick Hodge]

Harlan

Next to nothing changed in Tools>Options... Although this behaviour is not
demonstrated by default.

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Harlan Grove]

...
...

I don't know how you knew it was a lower case L instead of a one (1), but
you did, and it solved the problem.

...

Prior experience filtering typos and other errors in Microsoft documentation. QA
isn't a high priority in their documentation.

 

[Harlan Grove]

You must re-boot your computer for this registry change to take effect.

At least, that was my experience with this.

...

If Excel weren't running when you created this Registry value, it's a mystery
that you'd have needed to reboot. Excel does reread options set in the Registry
when ever it's launched, doesn't it?

Whaich Windows version?

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Bernie,
Fonts that don't distinguish between letters and/or numbers
are certainly a problem, what one person sees another person
would see differently because of the font. By copying and pasting
you should not have a problem. Using Excel you can check by
examining with =LOWER(a1) and =UPPER(a1)
ilo-10 ILO-10

Most fonts have a fatter letter O than a zero, but some fonts are the
opposite. Most fonts used with computer work have digits all the
same width so that numbers line up in a column without difficulty.

Personal computers with email, web pages, or newsgroups certainly
beats transcribing from a printed page, FAX, or phone conversation.
Transcription errors were once a much bigger problem.

In Excel you will see a lot of things prefixed with xl being lowercase XL.