Excel 2004 for Mac closes unexpectedly, or features do not work as expected (914209)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac

SYMPTOMS

Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac closes unexpectedly or stops responding. Additionally, you may experience any one or more of the following symptoms:
  • The AutoSum feature does not work as expected.
  • You cannot change the formatting of cells in a worksheet.
  • Files do not appear in the recently used file list as expected.

CAUSE

The issue may occur if the Excel 2004 for Mac preferences files or .plist files are corrupted.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the following methods.

Method 1: Move the Excel preferences files to the desktop

To move the preference files, follow these steps.
  1. Exit all Office for Mac programs.
  2. Create a folder named Preferences on the desktop.
  3. On the Go menu, click Home.
  4. Open the Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder.
  5. Drag Com.microsoft.Excel.prefs.plist in the Microsoft folder to the Preferences folder on the desktop.
  6. Start Excel 2004 for Mac. Then, try to reproduce the issue to determine whether the issue was resolved.
Excel 2004 for Mac will re-create the Excel preferences files by using the default values.

If this method does not resolve the issue, put the Excel preferences files back into the Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder to replace the new preferences files that were created.

Method 2: Move the Com.microsoft.Excel.plist file to the desktop

If the issue is not resolved after you move the preference files, move the Com.microsoft.Excel.plist file to the Preferences folder that you created in the "Method 1: Move the Excel preferences files to the desktop" section. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. On the Go menu, click Home.
  2. Open the Library/Preferences folder.
  3. Drag the Com.microsoft.Excel.plist file in the Preferences folder to the Preferences folder on the desktop.
  4. Start Excel 2004 for Mac. Then, try to reproduce the issue to determine whether the issue was resolved.
If this method does not resolve the issue, put the Com.microsoft.Excel.plist file back into the Library/Preferences folder to replace the new file that was created.

REFERENCES

For more information about how to resolve issues with Microsoft Office for Mac programs, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

892428 How to troubleshoot issues that occur when you use an Office for Mac program on a computer that is running Mac OS X 10.2.x or Mac OS X 10.3.x

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/5/2006
Keywords:kbtshoot kbprb KB914209 kbAudEndUser kbAudGeneralUser
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