colored cells are not sorting correctly?

I have a brand new excel 2003 file and have the following numbers in cells
A1:A10.
10
6
4
5
3
1
8
7
2
9
now, if I click the sort buttons on the toolbar the column sorts
correctly in either direction.

Now, make three random cell have a background color and then try and sort.
My column no longer sorts correctly in either direction. If I remove the
background colors from the cells they will sort correctly again.
I have looked at the header row (under data:sort) and it is set to "no
header row".
How do I get around this problem?

Thanks

Hi!

Using Excel XP it does the same thing!

If less than 3 cells have a fill color it sorts normally.

If I set conditional formatting on 3 cells it sorts normally.

Use conditional formatting to set the fill color and it should sort
normally.

Biff

"Microsoft" <no@no.com> wrote in message
news:%23LbCm4IoFHA.3564@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>I have a brand new excel 2003 file and have the following numbers in cells
>A1:A10.
> 10
> 6
> 4
> 5
> 3
> 1
> 8
> 7
> 2
> 9
> now, if I click the sort buttons on the toolbar the column sorts
> correctly in either direction.
>
> Now, make three random cell have a background color and then try and sort.
> My column no longer sorts correctly in either direction. If I remove the
> background colors from the cells they will sort correctly again.
> I have looked at the header row (under data:sort) and it is set to "no
> header row".
> How do I get around this problem?
>
> Thanks
>

If it's just the topmost cell that's staying put, it's because the different
formatting makes Excel think it's a header row, which should stay at the
top. The same thing happens with other formatting, such as bold, different
font, etc. Excel gets into an over-achieving mode, and likes to guess its
way through things, without notifying us when it gets like that.
--
Earl Kiosterud
www.smokeylake.com

"Microsoft" <no@no.com> wrote in message
news:%23LbCm4IoFHA.3564@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>I have a brand new excel 2003 file and have the following numbers in cells
>A1:A10.
> 10
> 6
> 4
> 5
> 3
> 1
> 8
> 7
> 2
> 9
> now, if I click the sort buttons on the toolbar the column sorts
> correctly in either direction.
>
> Now, make three random cell have a background color and then try and sort.
> My column no longer sorts correctly in either direction. If I remove the
> background colors from the cells they will sort correctly again.
> I have looked at the header row (under data:sort) and it is set to "no
> header row".
> How do I get around this problem?
>
> Thanks
>