XL97: Application Error Updating OLE Link

When you click "Close & Return to <Document>", where <Document> is the name of the document that contains the Microsoft Excel worksheet, you may receive an error message similar to the following.

Microsoft Windows 95

If you click Details, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

Microsoft Windows NT

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:

• You have inserted two Excel objects into a document in another program (such as Microsoft Word). -and-
  
  
• You right-click the embedded Excel object, point to Worksheet Object on the shortcut menu, and then click Open to activate the Excel objects. -and-
  
  
• One of the Excel objects contains an OLE link to the other Excel object. -and-
  
  
• The Update Remote References option is enabled.

To correct this problem, obtain Microsoft Excel 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

For additional information about SR-2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

Example of the Problem

The following steps illustrate how to reproduce the problem:

1. Start Microsoft Word 97.
2. Click Object on the Insert menu. Click Microsoft Excel Worksheet in the Object Type box, and then click OK.
   
   An Excel worksheet object is inserted into your document.
3. Click the Word document to activate Word.
4. Click Object on the Insert menu. Click Microsoft Excel Worksheet in the Object Type box, and then click OK.
   
   An Excel worksheet object is inserted into your document.
5. Click the Word document to activate Word.
6. Right-click the first embedded Excel object, point to Worksheet Object on the shortcut menu, and then click Open.
7. Activate Word.
8. Right-click the second embedded Excel object, point to Worksheet Object on the shortcut menu, and then click Open.
9. In Excel, click Copy on the Edit menu.
10. Activate the "Worksheet in Document2" workbook.
11. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special. Click Paste Link, and then click "Microsoft Excel 8" in the As box. Click OK.
12. On the File menu, click "Close & Return to Document1."
13. Activate Excel.
14. On the File menu, click "Close & Return to Document1."

You should receive an error message similar to the messages described in the "Symptoms" section of this article.