Hi. I have a 7-workbook Excel spreadsheet, which contains links to several
other spreadsheets.

When I open the document, I click Yes to the "Do you want to update links?"
question, but the information in the linked cells is not updated. However,
if I click on the cell, then click at the end of the link in the formula bar
and press Return, the link updates.

I've checked that the "update remote references" checkbox is marked on the
Calculation tab in Tools...Options and now I'm stuck. Any help much
appreciated. Thanks.

Lisa

Hi Lisa

Please help us with a bit more information:
- which version of Excel are you using?

- might the source workbook have been saved by an earlier version of
Excel? [this often prevents link updates]

- I assume by 7-workbook spreadsheet you mean 7-worksheet workbook (ie
a single file)?

- When you say the information is not updated when you open the
workbook and ask for links to be updated, does a typical cell
containing a link formula show an error value such as #REF! or does it
just contain an out of date value?

- Please can you give an example of a formula which does not update
correctly?

(By the way, I like your screen-name!)


Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

When I open the document, I click Yes to the "Do you want to update
links?"
question, but the information in the linked cells is not updated.
However,
if I click on the cell, then click at the end of the link in the formula
bar
and press Return, the link updates.


We have the exact same problem, and it has started recently. The version is
Excel 2007 with all the latest updates applied.
If we open a .xlsb file with links to other files, half of the cells with
links shows zeros, and the rest show data. (pointing to the same source/link
file).
We have files that easily reproduce this error if someone wants to have a
look at it, it's defenetly something spooky in Excel after the latest
updates.

/Magnus

If you'd like to email me the files at Bill underscore Manville at
Compuserve dot com, I will take a look and report the problem to
Microsoft if I can reproduce it.

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

Thanks Bill. Responses below.
- using 2003
- source workbooks are saved using 2003 also
- yes, I mean a single file with 7 sheets
- cells contain data from the last update
- eg "=+'S:\ACCOUNTS\OPRSTMNT\[Opgroup.XLS]GRP'!A34"

Hope this helps Bill, thanks a million.
Lisa

"Bill Manville" wrote:

Hi Lisa

Please help us with a bit more information:
- which version of Excel are you using?

- might the source workbook have been saved by an earlier version of
Excel? [this often prevents link updates]

- I assume by 7-workbook spreadsheet you mean 7-worksheet workbook (ie
a single file)?

- When you say the information is not updated when you open the
workbook and ask for links to be updated, does a typical cell
containing a link formula show an error value such as #REF! or does it
just contain an out of date value?

- Please can you give an example of a formula which does not update
correctly?

(By the way, I like your screen-name!)


Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

Alright, Flower<g.

Nothing obvious then.

You definitely have access to drive S when opening the file and the
source workbook exists?

If you go into Edit Links, select a link and click Update Values do
the values change?

If not, if you open the source workbook do the values change?

If not, if you Ctrl+Alt+F9 do the values change?

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

If you'd like to email me the files at Bill underscore Manville at
Compuserve dot com, I will take a look and report the problem to
Microsoft if I can reproduce it.


Sure I will do that, I have just asked the guy here working with it to put
together a step-by-step guide to reproduce the bug.
In the meantime I will answer the questions you wrote to Lisa

If you go into Edit Links, select a link and click Update Values do the
values change?

No, nothing changes, some cells with links still show zeros

If not, if you open the source workbook do the values change?

Yes, If I open the source workbook, the links get updated and show the
values correctly

If not, if you Ctrl+Alt+F9 do the values change?

No,
If the source workbook isn't open while I open the first workbook containing
the links, some cells with links will show zeros, the only thing that seems
to work is if I open the actual source workbook.

It looks like we have reached some kind of memory limitation in Excel
regarding how many links you can have or something, but the strange thing is
that it works if the source workbook is open in Excel, otherwise it dont.
I will send the files tomorrow, would be great if you could have a look at
this, really appriciated.

/Magnus

Links will almost always work if the source workbook is open (unless
the destination workbook has a broken calculation tree - hence the
Ctrl+Alt+F9 suggestion).

There are a number of possible reasons for problems with links when the
source workbook is closed, but we have already eliminated some of
those. I will look at the workbooks when I get them.

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

"Bill Manville" wrote:

Links will almost always work if the source workbook is open (unless
the destination workbook has a broken calculation tree - hence the
Ctrl+Alt+F9 suggestion).

There are a number of possible reasons for problems with links when the
source workbook is closed, but we have already eliminated some of
those. I will look at the workbooks when I get them.

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

I've just come searching for an answer to exactly the same problem. I've got
a workbook with links to another workbook that do update, and to another that
don't (unless I've opened it first; doesn't matter if it's subsequently
closed again). I'll be well pleased if someone can answer it.

Hi

I have exactly the same problem, I have links to an external workbook and
they are not updating. I have checked all the settings to enable external
links update with no luck but I noticed if I have the book that the links are
pointing to open the links works. I beleive this is started when we installed
the new Excel 2007.

I hope someone can find an answer tho this issue.

regards
Ed

"Alright_Flower" wrote:

Hi. I have a 7-workbook Excel spreadsheet, which contains links to several
other spreadsheets.

When I open the document, I click Yes to the "Do you want to update links?"
question, but the information in the linked cells is not updated. However,
if I click on the cell, then click at the end of the link in the formula bar
and press Return, the link updates.

I've checked that the "update remote references" checkbox is marked on the
Calculation tab in Tools...Options and now I'm stuck. Any help much
appreciated. Thanks.

Lisa