Ghost Links which force Excel to update on File Open

I have a couple of problems which I think my be related but have not idea how
they came about.

Usually when you have an excel file with external links, upon opening the
file, Excel prompts me update links. However when I open this file today,
Excel does not prompt me, and autoamatically tries to find the source of the
link. A dialogue box pops up saying File Not Found. I coudn't figure out
why I was not getting the prompt and why it was triggering the update. I
then went into Insert/Name/Define. I then noticed that there were about 60
defined names which I never put into the file. They all had REF# errors. I
then realised that some of the links to these named cells were to files which
I know I have had opened on my computer over the past week or so. Now the
file itslef was built from scratch. I only had three legitimate named cells
in the file yet it thinks it has another 60.

1) How did I get these links?
2) Why was this circumventing the update links dialogue box?

These are not directly VBA questions, but I fear that this may have come
about as I have been building a file audit macro and running it extensively
on this particular file. However the maco only finds named cells and finds
external links. It does not name cells or create links.

Any ideas?


Thanks

>>I coudn't figure out why I was not getting the prompt and why it was
>>triggering the update.

Tools, Options, Edit, Ask to Update Automatic Links controls whether Excel
"asks" or tries to update links automatically. Excel 2002 and 2003 provide
control over this with the new "Startup Prompt" button on the Edit, Links
dialog. You can, for instance, set a workbook to not prompt and not update
links. This new feature is a workbook setting that is not retained if the
workbook is opened and saved in an older version like Excel 2000.

--
Jim
"ExcelMonkey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
|I have a couple of problems which I think my be related but have not idea
how
| they came about.
|
| Usually when you have an excel file with external links, upon opening the
| file, Excel prompts me update links. However when I open this file today,
| Excel does not prompt me, and autoamatically tries to find the source of
the
| link. A dialogue box pops up saying File Not Found. I coudn't figure out
| why I was not getting the prompt and why it was triggering the update. I
| then went into Insert/Name/Define. I then noticed that there were about 60
| defined names which I never put into the file. They all had REF# errors.
I
| then realised that some of the links to these named cells were to files
which
| I know I have had opened on my computer over the past week or so. Now the
| file itslef was built from scratch. I only had three legitimate named
cells
| in the file yet it thinks it has another 60.
|
| 1) How did I get these links?
| 2) Why was this circumventing the update links dialogue box?
|
| These are not directly VBA questions, but I fear that this may have come
| about as I have been building a file audit macro and running it
extensively
| on this particular file. However the maco only finds named cells and
finds
| external links. It does not name cells or create links.
|
| Any ideas?
|
|
| Thanks
|
|