Workbook Settings Ignored or Disabled in MS Internet Explorer

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.01 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.01 for Windows NT 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SYMPTOMS

When you configure a Microsoft Excel workbook to use certain features, such as Freeze Panes or Window Split, and then open the workbook with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the settings are ignored.

CAUSE

Certain features in Microsoft Excel, such as Freeze Panes, Split, and View Formula Bar are not available when Microsoft Internet Explorer "hosts" the workbook.

By default, Internet Explorer opens the file for viewing instead of opening the Microsoft Office program. Some features work only if you configure Internet Explorer to open the program instead of hosting the document.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, configure Internet Explorer to open the program. To do this, use the following appropriate steps.

Microsoft Windows 95

1. Double-click My Computer.

2. On the View menu, click Options.

3. Click the File Types tab.

4. In the Registered File Types box, click the specific Office document type (for example, Microsoft Excel Worksheet).

5. Click Edit.

6. Click the Open Web Documents In Place check box to clear it.

   NOTE: This check box is available only in Internet Explorer version 3.01. If you are running Internet Explorer version 3.0, Microsoft recommends upgrading to Internet Explorer version 3.01.

7. Click OK.

Microsoft Windows NT

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 95. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the Changing Keys And Values online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Note that you should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and open the following registry key:

         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes
   

2. Under this key, open the appropriate subkey for the appropriate Office document type. Subkeys for common Office document types are listed in the following table.

         Document type                               Subkey
         ----------------------------------------------------------------
   
         Microsoft Access 7.0 database program       Access.Application.7
         Microsoft Access 97 database program        Access.Application.8
         Microsoft Excel 7.0 worksheet               Excel.Sheet.5
         Microsoft Excel 97 worksheet                Excel.Sheet.8
         Microsoft Word 7.0 document                 Word.Document.6
         Microsoft Word 97 document                  Word.Document.8
         Microsoft PowerPoint 7.0 presentation       PowerPoint.Show.7
         Microsoft PowerPoint 97 presentation        PowerPoint.Show.8
   
      To locate a type not listed in the table, find the subkey for the file
      name extension that is associated with the document type. The default
      value contains the name of the subkey for that document type. For
      example, under the ".xls" subkey, the default value contains the string
      "Excel.Sheet.5."
   
   

3. After you open the correct subkey, click Add Value on the Edit menu and type the following values:

         Value name:  BrowserFlags
         Data type:   REG_DWORD
         Data:        8
   
   

4. Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.

STATUS

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

The following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base describes a procedure you can use to globally disable this functionality for all document types.

   ARTICLE-ID: Q156584
   TITLE     : Preventing Internet Explorer from Hosting MS Office
               Documents

REFERENCES

For more information about opening Microsoft Office documents in the programs that created them, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

     ARTICLE-ID: Q162059
     TITLE     : Opening Office Documents in Own Program from Internet
                 Explorer