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Data Validation drop-downs are GONE!

  1. #1
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    Data Validation drop-downs are GONE!

    I use MS Excel 2003 and today ALL cells that had previously functioned as drop-down menus with the data validation function referring to a listed range suddenly stopped working. They still validate, they will only let you enter the appropriate values, that is IF you know what those are, but whereas before you would click the cell and the pull down arrow would appear and you could click that for the list, now nothing happens.

    You can even go to the data validation info for each cell and the settings are all there, the drop-down box is checked, and the correct range is still in place. Also you can make a new data validated cell with a drop down list and it works perfectly, but there are hundreds of others that are now seemingly broken.

    It seems incredibly strange to me, and I opened a version that I had saved just a bit earlier (but before adding a whole lot of important data since then) and the pull-downs are working fine.

    Has anyone heard of such a thing or why it might happen or better yet, how it might be fixed?

    I am very careful to save my files and handle them with care. I have been working on this one for years. It is just so weird for something so normal to simply cease to function. I closed and reopened the program, rebooted the computer, tried the file on a different machine, just hoping it was a glitch or something, but all was to no avail.

    I would really appreciate any insight anyone can give me. Thank you so much in advance if you can offer any clues at all.
    Last edited by excelDWS; 05-01-2008 at 08:38 PM.

  2. #2
    Forum Expert dominicb's Avatar
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    Good morning excelDWS

    Quote Originally Posted by excelDWS
    Has anyone heard of such a thing or why it might happen or better yet, how it might be fixed?
    I personally have had this happen to me once or twice, but fortunately it seemed to right itself when I restarted Excel. Excel MVP Debra Dalgleish, who is a bit of an authority on autofilter and data validation has this to say about the isssue :
    http://www.contextures.com/xlDataVal08.html#Freeze

    HTH

    DominicB
    Please familiarise yourself with the rules before posting. You can find them here.

  3. #3
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    Thank you so much! The information on that page you posted mentioned the possibility of corrupted spreadsheets and suggested I copy and paste the entire spreadsheet into another worksheet which did the trick.

    That saves me A LOT of extra work, so thank you again!

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