Works 2000: First-Time Help Appears When Opening a Spreadsheet Template (239392)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Works 2000
  • Microsoft Works Suite 2000
This article was previously published under Q239392

SYMPTOMS

When you start Microsoft Works 2000 Spreadsheet and open a template, the following First-time Help message may appear:

The entry in one or more cells is too long for the width of the
column. Works will display #### until you widen the column.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if all of the following are true:
  • The Show first-time Help check box is selected on the View tab of the Options dialog box, (click Options on the Tools menu).

    -and-

  • The default Short date is set to something other than M/d/yy under Regional Settings (Regional Options in Microsoft Windows 2000).

    -and-

  • The template contains a date (or dates) column.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, perform one or both of the following methods.

Method 1

To prevent the message from appearing, follow these steps:
  1. Start Works 2000 Spreadsheet.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  3. On the View tab, click to clear the Show first-time Help check box, and then click OK.

Method 2

To decrease the size of the default Short date, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start on the Windows taskbar.
  2. Point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click Regional Settings (Regional Options in Windows 2000).
  4. Click the Date tab.
  5. In the Short date section, select M/d/yy in the Short date style (format) box.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

To work around this issue, click OK in the message described in the "Symptoms" section, and then manually adjust the width of the affected column.

REFERENCES

For more information about adjusting the column width on a spreadsheet, click Microsoft Works Help on the Help menu, type change the width of a column in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/15/2004
Keywords:kbbug kbpending kbtshoot KB239392
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