WD98: Can't Use Paste Link Option with Excel Picture (177457)

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Paste Link option in Microsoft Word to paste a Microsoft Excel picture, you may receive the following error message:

The remote data (<path to file>) is not accessible. Do you want to start the application Excel?

When you click either Yes or No, you receive the following error message:

Word cannot obtain data from Excel for <path to file>...

Clicking OK brings you to your document. If you show field codes (click Preferences on the Tools menu, click the View tab, and click to select the Field Codes check box), you will see the following field:

{DDEAUTO Excel "Macintosh HD:[Excel Filename]Sheet1 Chart1" usu \p}

When the field codes are off, nothing will be displayed in your document.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you use Copy Picture on the Edit menu in Microsoft Excel. (To see the Copy Picture command, hold down the SHIFT key and click Edit.) Once you click Copy Picture, you will be presented with the following choices: Appearance

As shown on screen
As shown when printed

Size

As shown on screen
As shown when printed

The problem stated in the "Symptoms" section of this article will occur regardless of which combination of options you select.

WORKAROUND

In Microsoft Excel, do not copy your selection by using Copy Picture on the Edit menu. Instead, follow these steps to link to the Excel object:

In Microsoft Excel, select the items you want to link to.
On the Edit menu, click Copy.
Start Word and position the insertion point in the location where you want to create the link.
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
Click the Paste Link button, make a choice of the type of item you want to paste, and then click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.