MS Excel - Trouble Linking files with .xlsm extentions

[JEN JEN]

Having trouble linking two files with .xlsm extensions, can only link by having both files open at once which is inconvenient when linking lots of different cells that I normally just use find and replace function.  Used to work very easy when files were 2003 .xls files.  Excel closes down when ever I try to drag the link address.  If I link the cells directly, when I remove the $ signs from the cell name I get an error message #ref!.  Strange  ...  I have been linking files for years, only difference is changing files to new format .xlxm.

[rthompson80819]

I may not be the best one to answer your question since I've never used Excel 2007.

But since nobody else has replied, here goes.

Can you save the files as .xls?  The "m" stands for macros, but macros have been around since the earliest Excel release.  I've also read that .xlsm files are compressed, or zipped, and I bet that is part of the problem you are having in trying to link two spreadsheets.  In Excel 2003 it was pretty easy.

[JEN JEN]

Thanks for your reply, the file does have macros, hence the .xlsm extention, they started as excel 2003 .xls files but have been updated to excel  2007.
I have tried just making a couple of very simple .xlsm files and linking those, and they seemed to work, I also linked one of these simple files with the template that I am having trouble with and that worked.

But as soon as I try and link the more complex files excel just crashes each time unless I have both files open and just copy and "paste special"  links.  What I do is have a weekly file with loads of info that is linked to the previous week to get four and ten week trends and then link the weekly reports to a monthly summary.  Been doing this for about twelve years with no dramas.

Normally I was just using a find and replace search which was really quick and easy.