If the high contrast setting is turned on you won't see the fill colour.
There's information in the following MSKB article:

Changes to the fill color and the fill pattern are not displayed in
Office programs
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=320531



freho wrote:
from newbie:

when I try to fill a cel with a certain colour and/or try to colour the
letters-figures inside the cell, nothing visual happens.
just white background and black letter/figure.

HOWEVER: when I check the cel properties, the right colours are
mentioned.






--
Debra Dalgleish
Contextures
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html