Word 95: Linked MS Excel Document Does Not Display Gridlines

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you link data as a Microsoft Excel Worksheet in Word, gridlines are not visible; however, when you make changes to the data in Microsoft Excel, the gridlines become visible in Word.

Note that if you view the Microsoft Excel data with Clipboard Viewer, gridlines are not visible.

This problem does not occur in WordPad or PowerPoint.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because of the default metafile that Microsoft Excel creates. The default format is a printer metafile, not a screen metafile, so Word shows the cells as they would appear on the printout. If the option to print Gridlines is turned on in Microsoft Excel, the cell boundaries appear when you first paste the link in Word.

RESOLUTION

To correct this problem, install Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1).

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods. If you do not want to print gridlines in Microsoft Excel, use Method 1. If you do want to print gridlines in Microsoft Excel, use Method 2. If you want to insert several links, use Method 2.

Method 1

After you paste the Microsoft Excel material in Word, switch to Microsoft Excel and retype the contents of one of the cells. In Word, the text appears correctly.

Method 2

In Microsoft Excel, choose the option to print gridlines before you copy the cells. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.

2. Click the Sheet tab and click to select the Gridlines check box.

3. Click OK.

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 Office 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1).

For additional information about SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172475
   TITLE     : OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1