Hi Mary;
Sorry to hear the problem has returned... See the in line below:
I updated to Office 2004 v. 11.5 -- no change.
If this it accurate you haven't gone far enough. The current update level
for Office 2004 is 11.5.4, so before any further troubleshooting that's the
first thing to be done. It's pointless to chase symptoms if the software
isn't fully updated. Run Disk Utility - Repair Disk Permissions afterward.
In the past I could turn off AutoFilter on one column by clicking on it in the
drop-down menu. That's how I would switch filtering from one column to
another. That's what isn't working now. Is there another way to turn it off?
I'm really not sure what you mean here: Using the arrow button on the cell &
selecting (Show All) to remove the filter on that column or using the main
Data> Filter> AutoFilter to turn AutoFilter off altogether? Can you more
precisely describe how your data is arranged & exactly what steps you're
taking as well as what is/isn't working as expected?
I have saved, closed and reopened the files many times -- no change.
I turn my computer off every night. There has been no change when I restart in
the morning.
OK - it helps to know this... Apparently it isn't a memory issue
I only have one user account. I tried logging out and back in -- no change. I
tried logging in while holding down the shift key -- no change.
The Shift key indicates that it isn't some external utility or process
interfering. You can create a new User Account in Apple Menu> System
Preferences> System - Accounts. Not hard to do, doesn't hurt anything, &
will indicate whether the problem is with your current User Account.
This problem affects all my Excel files, even ones where I hadn't used the
Autofilter before. When I try now, it gets "stuck" on whatever column I choose
and I can't change it.
I have an idea about this, but like I replied above it's pointless to go
that way until Office is fully updated & permissions are repaired. The
results in a new User Account will be helpful as well.
Do you think the whole program has gotten corrupted? Should I try
re-installing it?
No - Do Not reinstall. That is rarely the approach to take in OS X unless
you're dealing with a simple single app. Even then it isn't usually the
solution -- Program files simply do not corrupt very often & when they do
the issues are far more severe than what you're experiencing [Frustrating as
your issue may be
]. Reinstalling not only doesn't replace the supporting
interactive files that may be at fault, it compounds the problem by setting
the software back to ##.0.0 so all updates have to be reapplied. And since
Excel is part of a complex suite you'd have to do a proper Remove Office
followed by a complete installation & update... All that to wind up in the
same boat is an unproductive waste of time & energy.
Thanks for your help with this very frustrating problem. BTW I would have
responded sooner but I was unable to access this forum for the last several
days.
Yeah, the web Forums & servers have apparently been having some problems -
again. Follow the suggestions above beginning with the updates & post back
with your results. We'll go from there. If it still presents a challenge
perhaps you can send me one of the files to have a look at, but hopefully
that won't be necessary.
Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac
