When I click Edit Data on a 2007 native chart nothing happens

Here’s an issue I saw recently that was a head scratcher but found a fix so wanted to share. You have a chart in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation, you want to edit the data in the chart so you right-click the chart, click Edit Data but nothing happens, Excel should launch.

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You also get Edit Data in the ribbon when a chart is selected, it’s found under Chart Tools context tab, Design tab, Edit Data

This only happens with existing files. So if you create a new PowerPoint presentation and insert a chart using the Chart command under Insert tab, Edit Data opens Excel. If you send the existing files with the issue to another machine then Edit Data opens Excel. Even repairing and re-installing Office don’t help. Only Office Standard 2007 is installed on the machine. This would apply to any Office suite with PowerPoint and Excel.

Close PowerPoint and Excel, run this command as a user with local administrator privileges. You can use the Run window in the Start menu. This would be the preferred way to do it on Windows XP.

REGSVR32 ole32.dll

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Should get a prompt saying “DllRegisterServer in ole32.dll succeeded”.

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If you’re running Windows Vista or Windows 7 and User Account Control is enabled you need to run from an elevated command prompt.

Start/All Programs/Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, click Run as administrator

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How did this happen? Not sure, but my guess is that it has something to do with the COM registration on the system. It’s possible something was changed, either with file associations, very likely the compatibility pack for 2007 is installed. I’ve seen this on systems where the company deploys 2007 Compatibility Pack onto all their systems either through a script or bakes it into the hard disk image. Keep in mind, that the 2007 Compatibility Pack is only needed if you have a version of Office before 2007.

Also, keep in mind this issue will also occur if Excel 2007 is not installed on the system!!!!!