ACC97: Sorting and Grouping Dialog Box Does Not Appear

When you try to access the Sorting and Grouping dialog box in a report, it does not appear.

This behavior may occur if the Sorting and Grouping dialog box has been moved completely off the screen.

Use one of the following two methods to resolve this issue.

Method 1: Manually Move the Sorting and Grouping dialog box

Use the arrow keys to move the window back onto the screen. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Start Microsoft Access.
2. Open your database.
3. Open a report in Design view.
4. On the View menu, click Sorting and Grouping so that the Sorting and Grouping dialog box becomes the active window (although it is not visible).
5. Press ALT+SPACEBAR to activate the window's system menu.
6. Press the M key on your keyboard to notify the window that the arrow keys will be used to move the window manually. Note that the mouse pointer turns into a crosshair.
7. Use the arrow keys to move the window around. You may have to work at this a while because you may not know where the window is. For example, if the window is off the top of the screen, pressing the UP ARROW key moves it farther off the screen.
8. When you see the outline of the Sorting and Grouping dialog box, press ENTER to make the contents of the dialog box visible.

Method 2: Edit the Registry

The following technique causes the Sorting and Grouping dialog box to reset to its default window settings. To do this, follow these steps.

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.

1. Quit Microsoft Access.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Run dialog box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Browse to the following key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Access\Settings
5. In the right pane of Registry Editor, click the value SGST.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
7. When you are prompted for confirmation to delete the value, click Yes.
8. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
9. Start Microsoft Access, and then open your database.
10. Open a report in Design view, and verify that you can open the Sorting and Grouping dialog box.