Text box not available in form controls

**apr1806** · 01-07-2015, 05:38 AM

Hi,
I have used text boxes to get input data for a sql statement but they have stopped working. They cannot now be selected to enter the data and the text box icon has been greyed put in the form controls so I cannot fix it. Also I cannot add an Active X text box - it says cannot insert object. These all worked until recently. Anyone know how to fix it?
Thanks. Andrew

txtbx.jpg

**Richard Buttrey** · 01-07-2015, 07:28 AM

Hi, and welcome to the forum,

Have you recently updated your PC with the early December 2014 MS Windows Update. I suspect you've been affected like thousands of others. Here's the text of an email I have sent to people whose Excel systems I support.

Mmmm. We have our friends at Microsoft to thank for this. See discussion here and the many scathing comments.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/the_micro...-updates-.aspx

I suspect that you too have installed the early December 2014 updates from MS.

I had deliberately held off updating my system with the December updates having learnt from experience in the past. I prefer to wait and see if I hear of any problems. As I mentioned my system was working fine when I tested your files. I had planned last night to install the updates which I did overnight. Imagine my horror when I checked this morning and found my system was now exhibiting the same problem you encounter. Not only that but the system restore point I had carefully created (again from long experience) would not restore when I tried to restore my system to the pre December updates.

I googled around and found the link I mention above, among many others in a similar vein.

This site mentions a subsequent MS fix, KB 3025036. When I googled this I found the following Microsoft support item

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3025036

On this page you'll see a 'Fixit' button that you can click to fix it automatically, (or it can apparently be done manually by deleting all .exd files which is a bit of a faff and not something I looked forward to doing). When I clicked the Fixit button it downloads a small program which you can run and after it finishes (it only takes a few seconds) it seems to have fixed the problem. I'm still holding my breath and am totally cheesed off with Microsoft for subjecting everyone to this problem, many of whom will not have an IT support service to easily fix it.

Try this and let me know. You'll obviously need to apply this on every PC on which you've updated the December updates.

**apr1806** · 01-07-2015, 05:48 PM

Thank you Richard. I think that must be the problem. The spreadsheet worked last month and the only change is that I accepted the automatic updates. Unbelievable that Microsoft can break something like this. It affects dozens of my spreadsheets at about five clients.
I will try the fix before rolling out to my clients.
Thanks for your help. Andrew