XL97: "Cannot Quit" After Using Visual Basic Editor

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you quit Microsoft Excel 97, you may receive the following error message:

   Cannot quit Microsoft Excel.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you attempt to quit Microsoft Excel 97 after performing either of the following actions:

• You press F8 when the pointer is not inside a subroutine or a function.

      -or-
  

• You press F8 when the pointer is in an empty Visual Basic module.

WORKAROUND

Microsoft provides examples of Visual Basic for Applications procedures for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. The Visual Basic procedures in this article are provided 'as is' and Microsoft does not guarantee that they can be used in all situations. While Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular macro, they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality, nor will they help you construct macros to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to consult one of the Microsoft Solution Providers. Solution Providers offer a wide range of fee-based services, including creating custom macros. For more information about Microsoft Solution Providers, call Microsoft Customer Information Service at (800) 426-9400.

If this problem occurs, run a Visual Basic subroutine. To run a subroutine, use either of the following methods:

• In a Visual Basic module, place the cursor inside an existing subroutine, or type a new subroutine. Then, press F5 twice to run the subroutine.

  NOTE: If you use a new subroutine, it is recommended that you use a subroutine similar to the following:

        Sub Test()
            MsgBox "This is a test."
        End Sub
  
      -or-
  
  

• In Microsoft Excel 97, point to Macro on the Tools menu and click Macros. Then, click the name of a macro and click Run. Press F5 again to run the subroutine.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products 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

Normally, if you press F8 when the Visual Basic Editor is active, the selected subroutine or function is run in "step into" mode. When you run a macro in this mode, you can execute one line of code at a time by pressing F8 repeatedly. You can exit step into mode by pressing F5. The Visual Basic Editor also automatically exits Step Into mode when a macro is completed.

If you press F8 when the pointer is not inside a subroutine or function, Microsoft Excel 97 enters step into mode; however, no macro is active. As a result, even though no macro is running, Microsoft Excel 97 behaves as through a macro is running. When this behavior occurs, you cannot quit Microsoft Excel 97.