# Word/Excel/Mail merge problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101 "2003-04-25T13:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/1 "2003-04-25T13:20:50Z")
I’m at work and trying to create a mail merge of labels. I have done this before so I do know what I’m doing. I have a large Excel spreadsheet that I’m trying to use as the data source. When I go to open that data file from the mail merge screen in word, it opens Excel but not the file. It used to work but stopped about 4 months ago. I’m getting tired of going to someone else’s computer and emailing the data files to myself. Details: Office 97 on Win98 computers. No shared drives. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/2 "2003-04-25T13:52:51Z")
Hmm, that’s tricky. Have you installed Office 97 [Service Release 1](http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/sr1off97detail.aspx) and [2b](http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/sr2off97detail.aspx)? Does this happen with all merged Excel files or only certain ones? Do you ever get any error messages? You might want to try repairing Office by running **setup.exe** from the CD. ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/3 "2003-04-25T14:02:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Have you installed Office 97 Service Release 1 and 2b? Haven’t installed either but both Word and Excel list themselves as version SR-2 > [@](#): > > Does this happen with all merged Excel files or only certain ones? It’s happened with every Excel file I’ve tried. > [@](#): > > Do you ever get any error messages? The only error message I get is when I, in disgust, close Excel after it doesn’t open my source file. It says, “Word could not establish a DDE connection to MS Excel to complete the current task.” I knew that… I suppose I may have to reinstall but am not really excited about doing so if there is a way around it. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/4 "2003-04-25T14:24:55Z")
Is **Ignore other applications** checked under **Tools|Options|General** in Excel? ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/5 "2003-04-25T14:29:51Z")
Bless you **Number**! That did it. How the Heck did you figure that one out? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/6 "2003-04-25T14:39:09Z")
I plugged that error message into Tobin’s Spirit Gui…er, I mean the [Microsoft Knowledge Base](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;196952). ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/7 "2003-04-25T14:42:49Z")
Hangs head and looks sheepish Thank you for your help! I should have done that myself but for some reason, I’ve never had any luck with the knowledge base. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/8 "2003-04-26T03:34:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hobie the One \* > \*\*I’ve never had any luck with the knowledge base. \*\* Don’t feel bad: the trick with MS’ Knowledge Base is being able to guess what they call things. They don’t use the same terms for things that most normal human beings use. They seem to use a specific dialect called “Microsoft-Speak.” Once you get a feel for it, the KB is actually very useful, but one’s initial forays into it are usually an exercise in frustration! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-excel-mail-merge-problem/171101/9 "2003-04-26T07:29:42Z")
\>\> I suppose I may have to reinstall but am not really excited about doing so if there is a way around it. I have reinstalled and repaired excel and word several times and it just takes a few minutes. Don’t be afraid to do it. It’s painless.