MXL Err Msg: "Cannot access folder '<path>'."

• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you set the default file location in Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, and you attempt to specify a folder that is located directly on the desktop, you may receive the following error message

   Cannot access folder '<path to folder>'.

CAUSE

When you set the default file location to refer to a file that is located on the desktop, you must include the hard disk name and the words "Desktop Folder" in the path statement.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Preferences or Options (in Microsoft Excel 5.0).

2. In the Options dialog box, click the General tab.

3. In Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, click the Select button to the right of the Default File Location box. Select the folder you want to use, and then click Select <Folder>. When you do this, Microsoft Excel 98 automatically uses the correct path in the Default File Location box.

   In Microsoft Excel 5.0, type the entire path to the folder in the Default File Location box, as in the following example:

         <hard disk>:Desktop Folder:<Folder>:<Subfolder>:
   

   For example, if your hard disk is named "Macintosh HD" and you want to change the default file location to the "MS Excel" folder, which is a subfolder of the desktop folder "Data Files," type the following:

         Macintosh HD:Desktop Folder:Data Files:MS Excel:
   

MORE INFORMATION

The hard disk name and the "Desktop Folder" identifiers are used by the Macintosh operating system to determine the correct path to the folder on the desktop.

Note that if the path for the default file location points to a folder that has been dragged to the desktop from another location, and you then use the Put Away command (located on the File menu in the Finder) to return the folder to its original location, the default file location reverts to the Microsoft Excel 5 folder (the default location when you first set up Microsoft Excel).