Getting Powerpivot to install properly

**jacob@thepenpoint** · 11-12-2010, 07:10 PM

Greetings,

I am just beginning to turn my hand to pivot tables in Excel and heard some praise for Microsoft's Powerpivot. I am operating using Windows 7 and MS Excel 2010. I downloaded and installed powerpivot for 32bit (that being the version I am using) and it seems to go through the install just fine.

The Ribbon tab is there and all of the items on the ribbon are there, but they are all greyed out and do not work.

I uninstalled powerpivot via the add/remove programs closed Excel and did it all over again to no effect. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks

**MarvinP** · 11-12-2010, 08:24 PM

Hi Jacob,
I too have PowerPivots installed. Most of the ribbon icons are greyed out as they do things with data. You need to click on "PowerPivot Window" in the launch group. This will then allow you to grab some data to deal with. Then the icons will become active. It is like needing data before you can create a filter.

**jacob@thepenpoint** · 11-12-2010, 08:54 PM

Hi Marvin,
Not sure what you mean when you say launch group, or powerpivot window. Are you working with 2010 too?

**MarvinP** · 11-13-2010, 01:17 AM

Hi Jacob,

Yes, I'm running Windows 7 and Excel 2010 with PowerPivots installed. On the PowerPivot tab the leftmost icon group on the ribbon is PowerPivot Window. Perhaps you don't have your ribbon showing?

Look at http://www.powerpivot.com/learn.aspx

**jacob@thepenpoint** · 11-13-2010, 09:04 AM

Marvin,
Okay, that is actually what I thought you were talking about, but there lies the problem, that group is greyed out also. Nothing on the Powerpivot ribbon works.

**jacob@thepenpoint** · 11-13-2010, 10:06 AM

I don't know what exactly I did, but I uninstalled powerpivot, unloaded all my add-ins then reinstalled powerpivot and the ribbon lit up like a Christmas tree, or at least the one that was supposed to did.

Thanks Marvin