Off Topic Help required -- excel spreadsheets

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gelders pie

gelders pie

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
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annfield plain
Anyone clever with computer problems ?? One (but only one) of my spreadsheets has frozen and comes up with ''excel not responding''. I've googled , but don't want to try soft reset as I believe that wipes everything.
Other suggestion is open ''Run'' box and type in excel / safe to open in safe mode. but it just comes up 'can't find excel/safe. If anyone can help, I need to be really needy and say '' very simple explanation please '' cos I just ain't got the computer cleverness !
Thanks in advance
 
Not sure about that specific issue but Excel should recover the file of you reset it shouldn't it?
 
gelders pie said:
Anyone clever with computer problems ?? One (but only one) of my spreadsheets has frozen and comes up with ''excel not responding''. I've googled , but don't want to try soft reset as I believe that wipes everything.
Other suggestion is open ''Run'' box and type in excel / safe to open in safe mode. but it just comes up 'can't find excel/safe. If anyone can help, I need to be really needy and say '' very simple explanation please '' cos I just ain't got the computer cleverness !
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
it could be you've missed out the space in between excel and /safe.

so command is excel /safe and not excel/safe

Does the spreadsheet run any macros or any kind of auto update in the background? is it pulling data from somewhere else?
 
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Oliver's Army said:
Not sure about that specific issue but Excel should recover the file of you reset it shouldn't it?
Click to expand...
Yeah it should. I work with excel fir a living!! Loads of questions though.
@gelders pie is it a large file?
Is it running any vba code?
What version of excel are you on?
Does it happen when you open the file?
Have you tried starting in “safe mode”?
 
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marcusblackcat said:
Yeah it should. I work with excel fir a living!! Loads of questions though.
@gelders pie is it a large file?
Is it running any vba code?
What version of excel are you on?
Does it happen when you open the file?
Have you tried starting in “safe mode”?
Click to expand...
you have my commiserations - i spent 20 years supporting all MS products and just hate most of them - a proper pain in the arse!!
 
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SAFC2403 said:
it could be you've missed out the space in between excel and /safe.

so command is excel /safe and not excel/safe

Does the spreadsheet run any macros or any kind of auto update in the background? is it pulling data from somewhere else?
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, had tried space before and after slash, and also no spaces -- your suggestion of one before non after is whats required. I then selected one of the options, however alas to no avail. As for running macros and the other things -- haven't a clue !
 
gelders pie said:
Thanks mate, had tried space before and after slash, and also no spaces -- your suggestion of one before non after is whats required. I then selected one of the options, however alas to no avail. As for running macros and the other things -- haven't a clue !
Click to expand...
Best advice i can give you is fling the ****er out of the window and go for a pint!!
 
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marcusblackcat said:
Yeah it should. I work with excel fir a living!! Loads of questions though.
@gelders pie is it a large file?
Is it running any vba code?
What version of excel are you on?
Does it happen when you open the file?
Have you tried starting in “safe mode”?
Click to expand...

Cheers Marcus
To answer in order:--
It's the largest file I've got - but don't know what is classed as large .
What's a vba code ?
Bought laptop Sep2019 so whatever that latest version is I guess.
Opens up to frozen page then starts to say ''not responding''
No, but worried I'll wipe laptop clean.
Sorry but as I said I'm only at computer dunce level !
 
gelders pie said:
Cheers Marcus
To answer in order:--
It's the largest file I've got - but don't know what is classed as large .
What's a vba code ?
Bought laptop Sep2019 so whatever that latest version is I guess.
Opens up to frozen page then starts to say ''not responding''
No, but worried I'll wipe laptop clean.
Sorry but as I said I'm only at computer dunce level !
Click to expand...
No bother. You won’t be able to wipe the laptop. As mentioned above, if you click start and type “excel /safe” in the start bar, this should start excel in safe mode. If you then open the file whilst excel is in safe mode see what happens. It’s something I’d like to get my teeth into to be honest but don’t really have time.
 
marcusblackcat said:
No bother. You won’t be able to wipe the laptop. As mentioned above, if you click start and type “excel /safe” in the start bar, this should start excel in safe mode. If you then open the file whilst excel is in safe mode see what happens. It’s something I’d like to get my teeth into to be honest but don’t really have time.
Click to expand...

Thanks Marcus, so it opened in safe, seemed to be still stuck, but persevered with the spinning wheel for ages and got some movement. Have managed to copy most of the sheets onto a new book, if necessary I will have to recreate the other two, which I can do from the information on the copied ones. A nuisance, but maybe it was time to revamp it anyway.
Thanks again mate
( hope you're feeling better btw)
 
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Windows being windows?...it does have that annoying habit of deciding to fire up any background stuff and updates at the wrong time... I may be too late but leaving it ticking over for an hour or two might help, or turning off the background stuff... but as you say you are not too computer savvy it could take a lot more instructions than we can fit on a msg board.
 
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samwise_new said:
Windows being windows?...it does have that annoying habit of deciding to fire up any background stuff and updates at the wrong time... I may be too late but leaving it ticking over for an hour or two might help, or turning off the background stuff... but as you say you are not too computer savvy it could take a lot more instructions than we can fit on a msg board.
Click to expand...

thanks Sam , I’ll give the remaining 2 sheets some more waiting time and hope it catches up with itself , otherwise as I said to Marcus , I’ll just re-create
 
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Just hold down CTRL key when you open Excel - that will open it in safe mode (you'll get a prompt asking you if that's what you want to do)
Try opening your sheet once in safe mode and see if you get the same issues
 
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