Excel & Computer Problems.....

[Vinman]

I made a posting here about 6 months ago referencing the dll problem I was having....here's an update.

I have an HP Pavilion laptop that I bought in 2006. From time to time over the past year or so I've had problems using Excel 2003 and the computer itself. I've been able to rectify these problems in the past to some degree by running Norton, as I have this time. Nothing has improved. The Excel problems are worse than they've ever been.

Let's start with a problem that is common to both the computer and Excel. At times when I move the cursor around on my desktop screen, a line that looks like a thread will appear and connect the cursor to a random fixed point on the screen, so that no matter where I move the cursor, I can't get rid of this line. The "line", depending on where I move the cursor, can also become a highlighted area, which turns my icons a shade of blue if I pass the cursor over them while this "line condition" is happening. I finally figured out that I can get rid of this line after a left click....or two or three. Then it comes back. Whatever is going on is also causing my e-mails to be sent without me clicking "send". If I were to try to insert the cursor into this message I'm typing now...to add or delete something, the entire word next to the insertion point becomes highlighted....upon another click, the entire paragraph is highlighted. A third click finally enables me to do what I want in the body of the text without something being highlighted and possibly being deleted by an errant click. There are also times when I get no response when I type a word or try to backspace over a word.

With Excel, there are times when I simply move the cursor over a spreadsheet and this "line connected to a fixed point" effect causes rows and cells to be highlighted, without any mousepad clicking. Other Excel functions have been affected by this. When I want to copy a number down a column of cells, it gets "stuck" when a vertical line appears in the cell containing the number I just typed into it to copy. Last night I started a simple spreadsheet with just a few columns of numbers and had to switch to another computer when the numbers I was typing did not appear in the cells I wanted...or would pop up in another random cell on the sheet.

I have one particular spreadsheet that I use for handicapping that is now about 7,000 lines deep and contains a simple formula that adds seven columns of numbers across the page and shows the total in a column on the right. I'm wondering if the size of this spreadsheet has creating these Excel problems, but that would not explain the "mysterious line and highligting" on my desktop page that appears before I even open Excel.

I believe that whatever is going on is an issue larger than just Excel. I checked and saw that I've been getting regular updates from Microsoft. I just ran a Norton scan last night. The problems persist.

One other thing I should mention is that upon startup for about the last 6 months I've been getting a "RUN DLL" error.....

"Error loading c:\windows\azexejigu.dll

The specified module could not be found"

The appearance of this message is accompanied by this loud "You just lost on a game show" type of noise. What I've been doing to get past this is simply click "OK" and it goes away and I go on my merry way. Last night I did some online research on DLL files and found a website that advised "unchecking" this file by using MSCONFIG, so that this won't pop up any more.

Is the above file in any way connected to the problems I've been having?

Should I leave that box unchecked or restore the checkmark?

What is causing the mysterious "line" connected to my cursor and the unintended highlighting on both my screen saver page and in Excel?

Are there any software programs or Microsoft downloads out there that will restore my Excel and computer to full functionality?

Is there any chance that these problems could be caused by an "overly trafficked mouse pad"? I have a feeling these problems won't go away if I all of a sudden start using a mouse.

Could "available storage space" issues be causing this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Vinman

[redshift1]

Average life expectancy of a computer is 3-5 years you may get lucky on this problem, but 2006 is pushing it especially with heavy and demanding use.

[wilderness]

Average life expectancy of a computer is 3-5 years you may get lucky on this problem, but 2006 is pushing it especially with heavy and demanding use.

I agree, and especially for a laptop which does not have a supplemental cooling fan.

You might try one of these $10 cooling fans and see if cooling down the board and processor make a difference?

I've some local guys that are very laptop sharp and very reasonably (as least as compared to others) priced.

[Dave Schwartz]

I believe that the technical term for what you are experiencing is best described as:

"Your computer is hosed."

[bigmack]

Know a guy with a net worth that would dwarf countries. One of his favorite possessions is a lawn mower his old man used and it just keeps running.

So too, computers are more resilient that others might have you believe.

Try to address the dll issue by updating all your drivers. Run this ditty:
http://www.devicedoctor.com/

Don't use the touchpad. Use a mouse and see if that might help with the Excel problems.

If you have the option to utilize an external monitor, try that as well.

[raybo]

I agree with Dave and Bigmack, both. You have a "computer" problem, not an Excel problem.

Try what bigmack suggests, in steps. Start with the website he posted, then if that doesn't fix it, try using a mouse, then an external monitor.

If the problem persists, you might save your files, and reinstall your OS.

If all else fails, take the laptop to a techie.

Last choice, save all your files to an external drive, disconnect your external drive, and "dispose" of the laptop. :(

[DJofSD]

Vinman,

I have to chime it. Just b/c it's old does not mean that's the reason for the problems. Typcially, thought not always, when something goes wrong with PC H/W, you will know it. It won't be one of those sorta, kinda, works problem.

What exactly is the model of the PC? Post the various numbers found on the bottom of the PC from the HP service tag. HP is pretty good about having the details about the computer posted on their web site, and, any updates that are available to be downloaded and installed.

Does this PC come with a D: drive that has the start from scratch reinstallation S/W?

[tupper]

Sounds like a software problem, and not the age of the hardware.

There is a safe and easy way to find out for sure whether or not the difficulty is with the hardware or software -- boot a Live CD.

If the Live CD booths and the apps run with no problems, you can be certain that your difficulty is with your installed software (Excel, Windows, etc.).

Puppy Linux would be a good Live CD for this purpose: http://www.puppylinux.com/

There are many others.

[JustRalph]

make sure it's not static electricity. similar things can happen if your mouse pulsates (the arrow on the screen, not the actual mouse) when you aren't touching it. Static can cause weird crap to happen. I recommend using a real mouse and see what happens. That will answer the hardware/touchpad question, you can disable the touch pad too. It might be as easy as a Function key. if you had listed the model number of the computer I might have been able to look it up.

The error message on startup is an easy fix, if you tell us what version of windows you have. The file is listed in your registry but no longer exists on the computer, and windows is trying to load it and can't find it. This produces the error message. You probably uninstalled an application that failed to remove the entry from the registry.

I would recommend starting your computer in safe mode and see if the mouse acts right.

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm

You can also open excel in safe mode, by holding the control key down while starting the program. See what happens when you do that.........

[DJofSD]

Vinnie,

JR said:
The error message on startup is an easy fix, if you tell us what version of windows you have. The file is listed in your registry but no longer exists on the computer, and windows is trying to load it and can't find it. This produces the error message. You probably uninstalled an application that failed to remove the entry from the registry.

A tool to help with these type of problems, along with others of a similar ilk, is CCleaner. Used to be called Crap Cleaner. See: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner . I recommend it.