[bill lee]

For some unknown reason my excel worksheets will not clear using the upper right corner X and revert to windows. For the past 2 days I have had to click on file and click the close button. Please help . Thanks

[Anne Troy]

With Excel closed, make sure it's also not running in your task list.

Hit Start-Run and type:

regedit

And hit enter. Browse to the folder below:

hkey_current_user\software\microsoft\office\8.0\excel

Right-click the Excel folder and rename it to OldExcel.

Relaunch Excel. If that doesn't work, search for the XLSTART folder and make sure there's nothing in it (remove or delete the contents).

Let me know...

[bill lee]

followed your regedit instructions and named excel folder, old excel. Didnt work so found XLSTART and the folder was empty.
So still have the problem

[Anne Troy]

Time to completely uninstall Office, use Eraser, and reinstall.

Eraser97 (for Office 97 only):

http://support.microsoft.com/support.../Q176/8/23.ASP

[bill lee]

TO Dreamboat:
IF I use erasure will this wipe out all my existing files in word, excel, outlook, photo, music, etc.??

[RandyG]

No, it will not touch your xls files, but might get rid of your Templates, I'm not sure. . .

I have just taken a look at another MS Article and it says that the following files will be replaced, so if you have any Macros or changes done to them that you want to keep, you should back them up:
Normal.dot
Custom.dic
*.xlb
Personal.xls
Blank.pot
*.pst
*.pab
*.acl except Mso97.acl
Any personal templates you created that might be in the Templates folder.

Personally, I have run eraser only when I uninstalled all of Office, not just one component. I had no problems with the personal files that were on my computer, as they were not removed by Eraser. The article I mentioned above tells you how to completely uninstall Office manually, which is a cumbersome task. Eraser does it all automatically for you, but in that article, it suggests that if you run this, it will remove some shared files that might be needed for your other office applications, so you would have to go through the entire installation process for Office again.

[Anne Troy]

Your personal files are not removed. Nor are templates like normal.dot. The xlb might be, but it's just the custom settings in Excel, which I doubt you have.

For instance, normal.dot, personal.xls, custom.dic aren't even installed with Office, they're only created after you do certain things in office.

[bill lee]

thanks people:
What would cause a hangup such as this after using excel for 3 or 4 years?Is the program damaged in some way? Why couldnt I just reinstall excel over the existing excel? Wouldnt that overwrite the old installed program? Just thinking. I'm leary about using erasure because I'm not that sharp [being 80 and still learning about computers] I would hate to have to reinstall everything. I can live with using 2 mouse clicks to close excel[one for the right corner X and then one to open the file and move the mouse down to Exit]but it just isnt right. so something is obviously wrong and I guess should be corrected. What would be the problem?Please advise

[RandyG]

wait Bill, you should be able to see 2 sets of the close, Max, minimise tools at the top right. One for the file you have open, and one for Excel itself. If you close the lower one, then you are just closing the workbook down, not Excel, which would explain why you need to close twice.

Do you know how to do a screen Capture? If you open your Excel, the way you have it normally, can you press Alt+Print Scrn to capture the active window, then open Paint and paste the image there. Save it to your desktop as a .jpeg file. On your next reply to this thread, you can attach it by using the Attach File option found just above the Submit Reply button.

If I could see your screen, I could say for certain that this might be the case.

I'm attaching a view of what my Excel looks like.

<img src="http://forums.techguy.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=348678">

[Anne Troy]

Meanwhile, back at the (funny) farm...


For now, you can use these shortcut keys to get out of Excel:

ctrl-w to close the current file
Alt-F4 to close the application window

These work in all applications.

Why do you have to use Eraser? Because the dummies at Microsoft have the Office installation such that it registers into the Windows registry. However, the Uninstall does not UNREGISTER it. Eraser cleans up all residual settings and such in the Windows registry. If you simply end task on everything EXCEPT explorer and systray and run the installation, you really should not have any problems.

Good luck!!

[bill lee]

I have captured the excel windoe as excel.jpeg.
doesnt look anything like your excel. hope the attch works, here goes

[bill lee]

I give up. I can use it like it is,I think. I get too confued in playing with the programs

[Anne Troy]

Sorry, Bill!

Come on back if you get sick of it again, okay? We'll keep trying as long as you're willing!

Hmmm...I've just had a look again. You ARE running Excel 97, yes? Double-check if you need to by opening Excel, hit the Help dropdown menu, then About Microsoft Excel.

If you happen to be running 2000 (I don't know where I got the initial idea that you were running 97), you can hit the Help dropdown again and try Detect and Repair.

If it IS 2000, then my regedit instructions would not work. Here they are again for 2000:

Hit Start-Run and type:

regedit

And hit enter. Browse to the folder below:

hkey_current_user\software\microsoft\office\9.0\excel

Right-click the Excel folder and rename it to OldExcel.

Relaunch Excel. If that doesn't work, search for the XLSTART folder and make sure there's nothing in it (remove or delete the contents).

And, Bill? If it is 2000, please accept my MOST HUMBLE apologies for leading you astray! (Probably led Randy astray too.)

[bill lee]

have excel 97, about 5 years old

[bill lee]

To RandyG and Dreamboat
thanks for all your help. By using RandyG's excel worksheet and playing around with my problem I somehow solved the X delete problem. Right now works like a charm.
Every time I come for help you tech support people can deliver.
Thanks