Your entry cannot be used. An integer or decimal number may be required.

[mike walker]

If I try to format a cell, (font, alignment, number, etc.)
I get this message: "Your entry cannot be used. An integer
or decimal number may be required." I also get this when I
click on any tab in the Options dialog box from the Tools
menu. I am also getting some weird results from Word when
I try to adjust margins in a document. I will enter a
whole number and the error essage will tell me that it is
not a valid number. Finally, I have noticed that in any
setting (i.e. downloading a file, looking at a file's
properties, looking at the size of a file in File Explorer
it will display a file size greater that the actual file
size, for example a 4.5 MB file will be shown as 45 MB. I
just updated my BIOS prior to loading Windows XP Service
pack 2 from a CD and I noticed this behavior afterwards. I
have a Dell Inspiron 8600 that is just about 1 yr. old.

 

[Myrna Larson]

Have you asked Dell whether the BIOS upgrade has any problems? I installed
Windows SP2, and don't have this problem.

 

[Debra Dalgleish]

Do you have any accessibility features turned on? There's something
similar in the following MSKB article:

XL97: Errors When Using Microsoft Active Accessibility Magnifier
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=200308

 

[Dave Peterson]

Just wild guesses...

I'd check to see what the regional settings for the decimal character is--maybe
something bad happened to it (win98 wouldn't let me change it to nothing,
though.)

In win98,
windows start button|settings|control panel|regional settings applet
Number tab|Decimal Symbol

I'm guessing that if you're not seeing the dot (my USA setting), then maybe you
have a decimal in one of your excel dialogs.

If you can fix the windows regional setting, maybe you'll be able to see the
problem in your excel dialogs.

I'd go through Tools|Options and see how many options look like numbers. If
possible, maybe reenter them. (But if you get to see the decimal point, then
maybe it'll become obvious.)

 

[Mike Walker]

Thanks, That did it.

I also saw the KB article referred to in the other posts
but I did'nt have any accesibility features turned on.