MXL Err Msg: Bad F-Line Instruction

ID: Q105509

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 2.2, 3.0, 4.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, you may receive the following error message

Bad F-Line Instruction
and your computer may hang (stop responding).


CAUSE

This problem can be caused by any of the following:

  • A damaged operating system


  • A damaged worksheet


  • INIT or extension conflicts


  • An inoperative math coprocessor.



MORE INFORMATION

The following information contains troubleshooting techniques you can use to identify the cause of the "Bad F-Line" error message.

To determine if your Macintosh operating system software is damaged

CAUTION: Before you follow these procedures, be sure you have a system disk available that you can use to start your computer (in case the system startup is erased from your hard disk).

To test for a corrupted System 7, follow these steps:

  1. If you are running security software such as DiskLock, Nightwatch, or Empower, disable it.



  2. Place the Disk Tools disk in your disk drive (you can use any floppy disk that's suitable for your computer's configuration; that is, a disk that contains the same version of the System software as your hard disk).


  3. Start Microsoft Excel and try to duplicate the problem.


To test for a corrupted System 6.0.x, follow these steps:

  1. If you are running security software such as DiskLock, Nightwatch, or Empower, disable it before proceeding.



  2. Place the Apple System Tools disk in the floppy disk drive (you can use any disk that's suitable for your computer's configuration; that is, a disk that contains the same version of the System software as your hard disk).


  3. Remove the System file from the System Folder on the hard disk and place it in another folder level. This file should be saved so you can easily recover any special fonts or desk accessories that have been installed.


  4. Start Microsoft Excel and try to duplicate the problem.


To determine if you have a damaged worksheet

If the worksheet you are using has been damaged or corrupted in some way, you may receive the "Bad F-Line Instruction" message when you use the worksheet. To determine if your worksheet is damaged, attempt to reproduce the problem with a new worksheet.

If you can reproduce the problem using a new worksheet, your worksheet is probably not damaged. If the worksheet appears to be damaged, you can copy the worksheet's contents to a new worksheet or save the worksheet in the SYLK format.

To determine if your computer is experiencing INIT or extension conflicts

If you suspect that you have an INIT or extension conflict, try restarting your Macintosh without the INITs and attempt to reproduce the problem.

To disable INITs on a Macintosh running System 7.5, use the Extensions Manager in control panel.

To disable INITs and extensions on Macintosh running System 7, follow these steps:

  1. From the Finder, restart your computer. As the computer restarts, press and hold down the SHIFT key. You should receive the message "Welcome to Macintosh - Extensions off." Release the SHIFT key.


  2. Start Microsoft Excel and try to duplicate the problem.


To restart a Macintosh running System 6.0.x without INITs

To restart the computer, follow these steps:

  1. Start your computer from the Apple System Tools disk (or any disk suitable for your computer's configuration that contains the same version of the System software as the hard disk).


  2. Remove the System file from the SYSTEM FOLDER on the hard disk and place it in another folder level. Save this file so you can easily recover any special fonts or desk accessories that have been installed.


  3. Start Microsoft Excel and try to duplicate the problem.


To determine if you have a damaged or inoperative math coprocessor

To determine if your math coprocessor if functioning correctly, enter the function =COS(PI()) into a empty cell on the worksheet. The cosine of pi is -1; if you receive a result other that -1, you may have a bad coprocessor.

Before you attempt to remove or replace any of your computer's hardware, consult your local hardware dealer or administrator.

In the Macintosh family of computers, machine code instructions that begin with the letter F, also known as "F-Line instructions," are used by the math coprocessor (if one is present on your machine).

Microsoft Excel does not execute F-Line instructions unless you have a math coprocessor. If, for some reason, an F-Line instruction fails to execute properly when an operational math coprocessor is in the computer, or if a math coprocessor has erroneously been detected, an error may occur. This error will usually include the words "Bad F-Line Instruction," and will usually cause Microsoft Excel to crash.

The disklocking utilities and security software mentioned above are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

Additional query words: 2.20 4.00 co-processor cpu f line error

Keywords : kberrmsg xlmac
Version : MACINTOSH:2.2,3.0,4.0
Platform : MACINTOSH
Issue type :


Last Reviewed: April 8, 1999
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