Suddenly unable to color cell border.

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windsurferLA - 20 Dec 2006 07:55 GMT

Suddenly unable to color cell border.

Software: XL97 SR-2(l) on WinXP-pro w/ SR-2 with latest Microsoft
Windows updates.
Hardware DELL Dimension E510 3 GHz with 1 Mbyte RAM
Norton internet security is installed, my e-mail provider scans for
viruses, and I regularly scan my whole machine for viruses. In twenty
years of using computers, I’ve only one gotten a virus infection, and
that was by mistakenly downloading and installing a freeware program
where I should of known better.

Until recently, I could place a colored border around a cell. I know it
can be done. I have spread sheets where the cell border is assigned a
color. The borders still show just fine. Today, when I went to place
a colored border, I find I can’t change the cell border away from basic
black. If I go to format cell border, I can get a menu of colored
border options, but none of them will transferred to the active cell.
Yet, the coloring is still working, because if I use the drawing tool
bar to draw a line or box, I can color a line, arrow or box. I can
also adjust cell fill color and text color.

The Excel application on my IBM computer has the same problem even
though I’ve not used it to run the Excel application for days. It too
automatically downloads and installs Windows updates.

Could some Microsoft update have defeated this function? I know that
Microsoft says it is no longer supporting XL97, but I didn’t expect to
loose functionality.

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Zilbandy - 20 Dec 2006 16:09 GMT

>Until recently, I could place a colored border around a cell. I know it
>can be done. I have spread sheets where the cell border is assigned a
>color. The borders still show just fine. Today, when I went to place
>a colored border, I find I cant change the cell border away from basic
>black. If I go to format cell border, I can get a menu of colored
>border options, but none of them will transferred to the active cell.

I'm using Excel97 here and it works for me, although I'm using XP
home, fully patched. When you select a new color, is the outline
window to the left of the color reflecting the new color? If not, you
may need to click the outline button again. I hope that makes sense.

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Zilbandy

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windsurferLA - 20 Dec 2006 18:09 GMT

>> Until recently, I could place a colored border around a cell. I know it
>> can be done. I have spread sheets where the cell border is assigned a
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> window to the left of the color reflecting the new color? If not, you
> may need to click the outline button again. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks for confirming that your version of Excel97 still works.

I'm perplexed. I'm certain that last night I did what you describe.
I think I repeatedly went to:
format | cells | border | color ,
and it would refuse to apply the color to the cell border.
THIS MORNING, THE PROCESS WORKED on both of my machines. Maybe I'm
loosing my mental abilities in my old age.

HOWEVER, One feature that I thought I had, no longer seems to be there.
After placing a border around a cell and highlighting the cell, I
thought you could go to "line color" on the drawing toolbar to change
the color of the border. When I do that, I'm not given any color
options. The line color option on the drawing toolbar does work for
setting the color of lines and boxes drawn using the drawing toolbar
tools. IS MY MEMORY FAULTY AND AM I RECALLING SOMETHING THAT NEVER WAS?

In closing and somewhat off topic, I need to voice praise for Microsoft
to counter my prior negative words, even though on many occasions I've
used long strings of four letter words to describe Bill Gates' company.
To their credit, Microsoft's web-based FAQs are an extremely powerful
tool for resolving issues, and Microsoft's free updates to XL97 has in
many ways added functionality to the software I originally purchased. I
also need to heap praise on this Newsgroup for providing rapid fire
solutions to Excel questions; it has made my life a lot easier!

Happy Holidays!

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