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# XL: GP Fault When Saving File Containing 3-D Reference

Article ID: 121391

Article Last Modified on 8/15/2003

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Excel 95a
- Microsoft Excel 5.0a for Macintosh
- Microsoft Excel 5.0c

This article was previously published under Q121391

## SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 5.0, when you save a workbook (DEP.XLS, for example) that contains a 3-D reference to a range in another workbook (SUP.XLS, for example), you may receive a general protection (GP) fault (Windows) or a system error type 11 (Macintosh).

## CAUSE

This problem will occur if all of the following conditions are true:

- SUP.XLS is open when you try to save DEP.XLS. -and-
- The worksheets in SUP.XLS referred to by the formula in DEP.XLS are preceded by one or more Visual Basic, Applications Edition, modules. -and-
- A formula in DEP.XLS refers to a 3-D range in SUP.XLS.

## WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do any one of the following:

- Make sure SUP.XLS is not open at the time you try to save DEP.XLS. The error will not occur if SUP.XLS is not open. -or-
- Move all Visual Basic modules in SUP.XLS after the worksheets in SUP.XLS. For example, instead of using a sheet tab order like this

  Module1, Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3

  use a sheet tab order that resembles the following:

  Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, Module1

  -or-
- Do the following to turn off the Save External Links Values option for the dependent workbook:
  1. With the dependent workbook active, choose Options from the Tools menu.
  2. Select the Calculation tab.
  3. Clear the Save External Link Values check box.
  4. Choose OK to accept the change.

## STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

## MORE INFORMATION

This error occurs because of the way that Microsoft Excel saves workbooks. When you save a workbook (DEP.XLS) that is dependent on another workbook (SUP.XLS), and if the dependent workbook contains 3-D links to the supporting workbook, Microsoft Excel cannot properly establish the link information if the first worksheet in the 3-D reference is preceded by a Visual Basic module. This causes a GP fault to occur.
To avoid this problem, use any of the three workarounds shown above.
Note that this problem does not occur with chart sheets, MS Excel 4.0 Macro sheets, or dialog sheets.

Additional query words: 5.00c

Keywords: KB121391