excel link deletion

Try finding the linked cells and deleting the links. To help you see which cells contain external links, go to Tools > Options > View > Formulas. Other than that, I think the delete links wizard is the only way.

-Ben

thanks Ben, but the workbooks that have the links no longer exist. They are 'phantom' links. Still stumped.

Re: phantom link deletion

Find phantom Links:
1.Select Edit, Links. (In some cases, this command is not available. If you
can't select it,skip to step 4.) The Links dialog box will appear.
2.Click the Change Source button and change the link to the active file.
3.Select Insert, Name, Define. Scroll down the list in the Define Name dialog box and
examine the "Refers to" box. Delete names that refer to another workbook or that contain
an erroneous reference (such as #REF!). This is the most common cause of "phantom links."
4.Save your workbook. When you reopen it, Excel won't ask you to update links.

Also check……
defined names
chart data
dialog boxes
hidden names (not accessible), use Namelist.exe from J-Walk.com

Loren - that helped, but still one stubborn link to go...

Thanks Loren, I had 6 phantom links and now have one. The 'define name dialog box' got rid of 5 of them. Unable to change the source without getting an 'invalid reference' message that takes at least 50 clicks to make go away. I don't know what else to try.

I assume you have used the Find command to lok for the link name. In the past, I have had to use the brute force method: create a new sheet, select the entire old sheet (with the bad links), Edit|Copy, select the new sheet, Edit|Paste Special|Format, then Edit|Paste Special|Formulas.

You have now recreated the core of the worksheet. You will have to adjust styles, print areas, etc., manually, but it should get rid of the bad link.

Thank you Greg. I did as you suggested, but the bad link is still there. I'm afraid I shall just have to live with it as nothing so far has been successful in disposing of it.

Don't know if you've sorted the problem out
but for future reference...
Save the file under a new name.
Close down and open the newly named file.
Goto Links and select the newly named file.
This way you'll be creating a link to itself.
It usually works for me.