In your 'practical advice', you forgot to ensure that the cell is NOT
formatted as text. Because if the cell is formatted as text (C1:C34), then
editing the cell by F2 & Enter isn't practical at all.
Practical advice would be to highlight the cells C1:C34, ensure formatted as
general (or if preferred, as number). Type a 0 into an empty cell. Copy that
cell, then select your range C1:C34, Paste Special -- select Add and OK out.
--
** John C **

"Satti Charvak" wrote:

I'll give a practical advise (One of those clerical problems)

go to cell C1

hit "F2" key and then followed by "Enter" Key

cell c1 is converted to number.


the selection will go to cell c2

Do the above activity 33 more time and you are done
--
Kind Regards,
Satti Charvak
Only an Excel Enthusiast
Noida, India


"Ron Rosenfeld" wrote:

On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 05:54:01 -0800, LionR
wrote:

I set up a formula adding a set of numbers in a column, e.g.=sum(c1:c34).
The formula is correct but I got a zero as an answer. I set up the same
formula in another column and it gives me the correct answer, e.g. $2,500. I
tried copying this formula to the first one on the same row. And it returns
$2,500.

What is going on?

Possibly your "numbers" in c1:c34 are text.

What do you get if, in some cell, you type: =istext(c1)

How are the data entered in column C?
--ron