Excel 1.x: Imported Spreadsheets Return a Memory Error

SUMMARY

Spreadsheets saved from other programs, such as Lotus 1-2-3, may produce "out of memory" errors when imported into Microsoft Excel version 1.50 or earlier. This error may occur even if the file size appears small when you choose Get Info from the File menu in the Finder.

The most likely cause is that the cells in the spreadsheet being imported are separated by extra blank rows and columns that cause the cells to be (unnecessarily) spread out across the sheet. Excel versions 1.50 and earlier allocate memory based on the last row and column, allocating memory for each cell in that rectangle whether it contains any information or not. This frequently causes an "out of memory" error because of the physical layout of the sheet, not its actual contents.

To correct this problem, load the file back into the application it was created in and remove any extra rows or columns, making it as compact horizontally and vertically as possible. Then import it as before.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem should not occur in Excel version 2.20, which uses sparse-matrix memory management to allocate memory only to cells containing information. In addition, Excel 2.20 can access up to 8 megabytes of RAM for the cell table, whereas earlier versions of Excel are restricted to the first megabyte of RAM.