XL5: Clicking Sheet Tab While Entering Formula Causes Hang

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if you enter a formula, and you click the sheet tab to add a plus '+' sign to the formula, Microsoft Excel stops responding.

CAUSE

When you are entering a formula on a worksheet, if you click the sheet tab of the worksheet that contains the formula, a plus sign is added to the formula. However, if you use this method on a worksheet that you have renamed, Microsoft Excel may stop responding when you enter the formula under the following conditions:

• You have not entered any data on the worksheet

  -or-

• The worksheet contains another formula

WORKAROUND

To avoid having Microsoft Excel stop responding, do any of the following to enter a plus sign in a formula on a worksheet that has been renamed:

• Add the Plus Sign button to a toolbar (Formula category), and choose this button

  -or-

• Using the keyboard, press SHIFT+=

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 version 5.0c for Windows.