Unexpected Results with Second Paste Link to Item

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if you use the Paste Link option in the Paste Special dialog box to link information from another application as an object or picture, and then link the same information as text, the link as text appears on the worksheet as follows:

   #VALUE!

CAUSE

If you link the same information using different formats, only the first format is used in Microsoft Excel. For example, if you link information from another application as a picture, then link the same information as Text, the picture format is used. Because the picture format cannot be displayed as text, #VALUE! appears in the cell in which you pasted the information.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do any of the following:

• If you linked information in an undesired format, delete this linked information first before linking again in another format.

  -or-

• Link the information using one format. Then copy the information from the other application again and include an extra space or character that will not be noticeable when you create the link. Because the information you copy is different, Microsoft Excel correctly uses the format you choose to link.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Excel for Windows version 5.0c.