ID: Q111492
The information in this article applies to:
In a Microsoft Excel workbook, if you insert a link to another Microsoft Excel workbook, and that workbook itself contains a link to the first workbook, your computer responds very slowly and may stop responding (hang).
In applications that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) version 2.0, you can insert the contents of a file into your document and link to the file so that changes to the source file are reflected in your document. However, if you use this functionality in Microsoft Excel to link to a workbook, and you create a circular reference in the process, you do not receive an error message, but your system will respond very slowly and may hang.
A circular reference occurs when you reference an object, and that object contains a reference to the original object, such that each reference refers to itself.
Avoid creating circular references when linking a Microsoft Excel workbook to another workbook.
To insert the contents of a file into a workbook and create a link to the file, follow these steps:
1. In Microsoft Excel, click Object on the Insert menu.
2. Click the Create From File tab. In the File Name list, select the
file you want to link to. Select the Link To File check box and click
OK.
For more information about about linked and embedded objects, click the Office Assistant, type "OLE," click Search, and then click to view "About linked and embedded objects."
NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Microsoft Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
TITLE : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
Program or Component
For an Overview Of Linking And Embedding, click the Search button in Help and type:
OLE, described
Keywords : xlui xlformula
Version : WINDOWS:97,7.0,5.0,5.0c
Platform : WINDOWSLast Reviewed: January 8, 1999