Excel Help Malfunctioning?

Originally Posted by wisgro

Thank you for responding. Tried your suggestion. No luck. Last night I ran windows diagnostics. Nothing found. reinstalled Excel but that didn't help either. Ran virus check (AVG 7.5 and Windows Defender). Negative results.
Searched known virus threats at Symantec and Microsoft for symptoms. None found. Searched Microsoft for Excel troubleshooting. No help there. Searched the web. No help found. Short of uninstalling/reinstalling MS Office I don't know what else to do. (P.S. I encountered a different problem recently with chart formatting that I still haven't been able to resolve. Have been using this version of Excel for years without problem until this month.)

Hi,

if you re-installed Excel then the .xlb file should be correct, but locate it and delete it anyway (search for any .xlb and remove).
Also search for Personal.xls and hide/delete that fine, then re-start Excel.

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Originally Posted by wisgro

Thanks for responding Bryan. I opened windows explorer to search for xlb files. Much to my dismay when I click Search, the Search Companion window opens but a blank blue background is displayed. I attempted to use IE and experience trouble with that. If I click on any link on the download page I get a blank page. Instead of IE opening to nmy home page it opens to a blank, blue colored page and displays a URL that says "run once." No tool bar or menu bar is displayed. My neighbor works as a network administrator. He looked at the problem the other day and said IE was not working properly on my machine. He said he fixed IE but couldn't figure out what is wrong with Excel help. He said Excel help is managed by IE and it appears the IE malfunction effected Excel. (I have the latest version of IE.) Apparently IE was not fixed for long because it isn't working today. High Tech living eh?
Walt

I am not sure what the latest version is, I run IE 7.10.5730.11 with Excel 2003 on XP on a Dell GX150, which would be described as 'older' technology, but have few problems with it and nothing as described by you.

Your Excel 2002 could be the problem.

To locate a file you could open a DOS window (START, Run, CMD)
and type

CD \
DIR *.XLB /s /p

and then
DIR Personal.xls /s /p

then try
START, Run, Excel.exe /unregserver

followed by
START, Run, Excel.exe /regserver

Let me know how you go.
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Originally Posted by wisgro

Thanks Bryan. Am I spoiled? Completely forgot DOS which was the OS when I started using computers. I completed the routine you sent and it didn't help. I have IE7. The browser displays a symptom that I thought could be indications of a browser hijacker: IE ignores my home page setting, goes to MS run once and displays a blank page with blue background. I ran Hijack This and CWShredder but uncovered nothing. Seems like an Excel file has blown a fuse.

sounds like a IE problem, you could try a remove and re-install of 7, or just check that you have the latest updates. Is IE 7 set to auto-update as required?

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Originally Posted by wisgro

We have a saying around here when people ask directions: "You can't get there from here." I loaded IE and the blank page is displayed then "run once" is displayed in the URL window. I can't go anywhere. Can't even find the auto update settings. Tried the MS home page but IE froze up. Had to use Program Manager to shut it down. Opened Firefox but of course MS requires that IE5 or above is opened in order to download updates. Just discovered the problem is on my laptop and desktop: no excel help and IE won't run correctly. Is it safe to remove IE7 using Add/Remove Programs? I would like to avoid wrecking MS Office if possible and any other programs that rely on IE.
Walt

Normally I would say OK to remove any product by Add/Remove, but in your case probably 50-50, still, what have you got to lose?

Backup all data files and then try the Remove, perhaps locate your 'Complete Sytem Reload' cd first (just in case).

The appearance of the 'RunOnce' indicates that a registry setting erred during installation, the program wishes to run some option (of installation) that it cannot find.

Did the login that tried the Install (IE7) have sufficient login rights?
Is your C: fragmented / full ?
Have you run a 'cleanup' or deleted IE temporary files recently?

Any other clues?
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