XL98: #REF! Appears or Microsoft Excel Hangs or Quits After Saving Excel 4.0 Worksheet (178983)

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, when you click or edit a cell that contains a formula that links to a cell in another workbook, the program may unexpectedly stop responding (hang) or quit without displaying any error messages. Also, the cell may contain a #REF! error value.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if the following conditions are true:

An open workbook (for example, Book1) contains a formula that refers to a cell in a worksheet with a name that is the same as the workbook name that contains the worksheet, for example:
=[Book3]Book3!A1
-and-
The workbook referenced in the formula is closed. -and-
You save another workbook (for example, Book2) in the Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet format. When you save the worksheet, you use the same name as the name used in the formula (Book3), but you save the worksheet in a different folder. -and-
You then close Book3, switch to Book1, and then click or edit the cell that contains the formula that refers to the closed workbook.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, do not give the worksheet the same name as another workbook that is referenced by a formula in an open workbook when you save a worksheet in the Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet format.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Because the problem described in this article occurs only when you save a worksheet in the Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet format, you are not likely to encounter this problem. If you must save worksheets in the Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet format, use the resolution in this article to prevent the problem from occurring.