XL2000: Linked Files with Lookup Functions Updated Much More Slowly Than in Earlier Versions of Excel

When you click Yes to update the links on a workbook that you are opening, Microsoft Excel appears to stop responding (hang). After a long wait, the links are updated, and you gain control of the worksheet.

The same workbook may have been updated much more quickly in earlier versions of Excel.

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:

• Your workbook contains a large number of links to one or more Excel workbooks.
  
  -and-
• Many of the linked cells contain formulas that use the VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP functions.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Office 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
IMPORTANT: Before you install Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP-3), you must have Microsoft Office 2000 Service Release 1/1a (SR-1/SR-1a) installed first. To obtain Office 2000 Service Release 1/1a (SR-1/SR-1a), click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to Activate the Hotfix by Using the QFE_Charlotte Registry Key

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To activate the product fix that is listed in this article, modify the following registry key and value:

1. If Excel is running, quit Excel.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Locate, and then click to select the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Excel\Options
5. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD.
6. Type the following name for the new value: QFE_Charlotte.
7. Press ENTER.
8. Right-click the QFE_Charlotte registry key, and then click Modify.
9. In the Value data box, type 1.
10. Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.
    
    Note To disable the fix, set the registry key value to 0.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 2000 SR-1/SR-1a.