Excel Hyperlinks crash Excel programme

[martinlest]

Hi,

I have MS Excel (XP version, 2002) in Windows 7 x64. I have requested, downloaded and installed the HotFix which is supposed to fix Microsoft Agent issues (395040_intl_x64_zip.exe) - but that didn't help.

When I right-click a cell in Excel and choose 'Hyperlink', I get the window in the screenshot - as attached below. The files I want to link to are in the folder 'Airline Destinations', but when I click on that, or any xcl file in the 'Current Folder' list, or try to change the folder (up one level - ringed), I immediately get an error 'Excel has stopped working'. The 'Look in' drop down box is empty..

This is the error information:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: EXCEL.EXE


Application Version: 10.0.2614.0
Application Timestamp: 3a8ca293
Fault Module Name: SHELL32.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.1.7600.16644
Fault Module Timestamp: 4c4ee5ad
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0009bc0d
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 2057

Additional information about the problem:
LCID: 1033

Anyone know a solution to this? I tried uninstalling/reinstalling Office - but same crash..

Thanks,

Martin

[Colin Legg]

Hi,

The first thing to check is if the same thing happens if you have started Excel in safe mode.

To start Excel in safe mode, in Windows go:
Start Menu > Run > Excel.exe /s > Enter

Open your workbook within Excel and try to add the hyperlink. Let us know how you get on and then, depending on the result, we can go to the next step.

[martinlest]

Hi. Thanks for the reply.

Started Excel in Safe Mode - same thing happens, Excel quits.

Martin

[Colin Legg]

Hi,

Originally Posted by martinlest

Hi. Thanks for the reply.

Started Excel in Safe Mode - same thing happens, Excel quits.

Martin

Okay, that rules out a number of possible causes.


If you start Excel in safe mode, create a new workbook (do not open the workbook you've been having trouble with) and then try to add a hyperlink, do you still get the problem?

--->

If yes, then it might be a problem with your .xlb file. Close all instances of Excel and run a Windows search for any files with an .xlb extension and delete them. Then open Excel and try to add a hyperlink again.

If no, then it is a problem with that particlar workbook.

[martinlest]

Hi again. Same thing with a new file, in safe mode.

No xlb files at all found on my PC... (what's an xlb file? Don't recognise that one. My Excel files themselves are .xls....).

M.

[Colin Legg]

Hi,

There must be an xlb file. It's the file that contains the custom definitions for all of your Excel menus and commandbars. There's a small chance that a corrupted xlb file is causing the problem so I suggested deleting it, which will cause a new, default one to be created when you next open Excel.

Try expanding your search to incorporate hidden folders?

[martinlest]

Hi. My searches are set to include hidden files by default (and I tested that hidden files are indeed found), but no xlb file is found on my PC - I have a second PC with Office, with Win XP this time. There I can find an xlb file, but not on my Win7 PC. Does Office install different files on a Win7 (64-bit) PC??? Maybe the MS Office version I have (XP) doesn't work properly in Win7 64-bit?

I have reinstalled Office once more just in case - no xlb file to be found. What folder should it be in in Win7? Nothing found in the Program folders or in the roaming folder.

Martin

[Colin Legg]

Hi Martin,

I guess that means that you have absolutely no customisations to your toolbars and menus - that would be the case if you've just done a fresh install.

At this stage it really does sound like a genuine bug as opposed to some sort of workbook corruption or problem with one of your add-ins. If that's the case, it's not something we're going to be able to fix here. It's worth reporting it to Microsoft and coming up with an interim solution to workaround the issue. One workaround might be to try to programmatically add the hyperlink to the spreadsheet.

[martinlest]

I guess so. I do have a workaround - I copy an existing hyperlink and can then edit the file that opens from that link and the display name. That in effect creates a new hyperlink.

I also get the oddity that at least a couple of times a week, when I start an Office programme, I get a window saying 'Microsoft Office needs to install new features' - not that I have changed anything at all in the interim. This happens so often that I copied the installation disc to my hard drive and whatever it is that the programme feels it needs to install runs automatically now without the hassle of my having to put the disc into the DVD drawer..

Just a curiosity rather than a major annoyance, but it shows that there is something wrong with my installation - as I say, a complete uninstall/reinstall makes no difference, so yes, probably a bug using Office 2002 in Win7 x64.

Thanks for trying to help,

Martin