sum(offset(... to linked file requires linked file to be open?

I have mywB.xls and linkedwB.xls.
I changed
=sum(linkedwb!B1:e1)
to
=sum(offset(linkedwb!B1,0,0,1,4)

But now when I open mywB, even if I say don't update links, I get a bunch of #VALUE if linkedwB is not already open. The linked cells work fine when I open linkedwB. Before it was fine, whether linkedWB open or not, and whether I said update or not.

This is awful. I can't even open myWB and print it without opening all of numerous linked files that I use SUM(OFFSET( on.

I have a theory that the volatile function OFFSET is to blame. I'm using those 4th and 5th args of offset and SUM, but my experimentation suggests that I could go
=sum(index(linkedwb!B1:E1,0,0)
I didn't know index would do that but apparently it does. I thought at very least I'd need to go
=sum(index(linkedwb!B1,0,0):index(linkedwb!e1,0,0))
By the way, that one also seems to work too. Both work fine with linkedWB closed.

So is the story here to stay away from volatile functions with a link? That would make sense; otherwise, he'd be updating the link of the close file (the SLOOOOW thing) every time I touched any cell, volatile or not ... or at least he'd be nagging me every time. Right?

XL03

More info: I really want OFFSET, because after
=sum(index(linkedwb!B1:E1,0,0)
I'll want
=sum(index(linkedwb!F1:I1,0,0)
then
=sum(index(linkedwb!J1:M1,0,0)
etc.
Since each is 4 columns past the previous, OFFSET was great. But I can't get away with generalizing this on INDEX, right?

Maybe I could use INDIRECT - though I abhor it, as it's to a degree hardcoding, and it thwarts. dependency traces.
C10="B"
C11=CHAR(CODE(C10)+3)
C11 would be "E" and
sum(index(linkedwb!INDIRECT...
Man, that's a lot of hooey to do something so simple!

There are several functions that don't work with closed workbooks... volatile and not volatile.

E.g. SUMIF and COUNTIF don't work, as well as OFFSET and INDIRECT...

Thank you for a clear specific answer. Well, has anyone used Harlan Grove's PULL() function? It is a slow workaround for using INDIRECT on a closed file
http://numbermonger.com/2012/02/11/e...sed-workbooks/
Harlan's 2012 updated addin: http://www.4shared.com/file/L_eA8s4G/pull.html
Or any other alternatives?

There is a Free Addin here: http://download.cnet.com/Morefunc/30...-10423159.html called Morefunc, that uses INDIRECT.EXT to pull from closed workbooks.

I truly apologize; all of a sudden I'm finding all kinds of links on the topic that my crappy googling failed to yield before I posted ... including the very same answer from NBVC a year ago. Sorry! Anyway it had a great WhyDidntIThinkOfThat solution, to do the summing in the linkedWB.xls, and do the offsets there too, so I can read contiguously. Doooh!!

Thanks for the morefunc answer, and your continued polite assistance. Other ideas follow if anyone wants to explore, either now or you future Googlers. I'll stop monitoring here though. NBVC you've got my mind thinking straight now.
J. Walk's "A VBA Function To Get A Value From A Closed File" http://spreadsheetpage.com/index.php...a_closed_file/
DailyDick's "INDIRECT and closed workbooks:" http://www.dailydoseofexcel.com/arch...sed-workbooks/
(Jeez, without Daily the forum blotted out "Richard"'s name!)
Ron DeBruin's "Copy a range from closed workbooks (ADO)": http://www.rondebruin.nl/ado.htm