XL5: Various Problems Occur When Copying Sheets

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Power Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, you may experience one of the following problems when you copy a sheet (these problems vary depending on the version of Microsoft Excel you are using):

   General Protection (GP) Fault

   -or-

   System Error

   -or-

   Application Error

   -or-

   "Sheet name too long"

   -or-

   The computer may hang

CAUSE

Under certain conditions, one or more of the symptoms listed above may occur if the name of the sheet you are copying contains parentheses.

Having parentheses in a sheet name will not specifically cause the symptoms stated above. However, using various combinations of characters inside the parentheses in the sheet name have been found to cause these symptoms.

RESOLUTION

To avoid the symptoms listed above, avoid using parentheses when naming sheets in a Microsoft Excel workbook.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Excel listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel, you can copy a sheet to a new sheet in the same workbook or to a different workbook. This can be done either by clicking Move Or Copy Sheet on the Edit menu or by pressing the CTRL key (the Option key on the Macintosh) while dragging the sheet tab to another location.