We've been using a spreadsheet with the built-in Excel forms combo box embedded in it for years.

Today, when we click on the drop down, nothing happens.

No errors are reported on load.

The trust center setting are correct and have not changed.

Quit Excel.
Start Windows Explorer.
Select the system drive (usually C:).
Use the Search box to search for *.exd
Delete all found files.
 
(Thanks to Excel MVP RoryA for this tip)

These are Active X controls that I believe reside in FM20.dll which had a last modified date of  Nov 18, 2014

Have you tried deleting the .exd files?

Thank you Hans, renaming the msforms.exd to oldmsfroms.exd and then starting Excel worked.

You do not have to uninstall updates anything.

This is a link to bat file fixed ActiveX problems in Excel and Word

In this file you can find this line:

@del "C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Application Data\Microsoft\Forms\*.exd" /s
@del "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Forms\*.exd" /s
@del "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Temp\Excel8.0\*.exd" /s
@del "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Temp\VBE\*.exd" /s 
@del "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Temp\Word8.0\*.exd" /s

I's safe to use with no admin rights

Regards

I have the same problem but rename all the *.exd did not solve the problem.  I tried to delete the files it did not work either.  My last solution is open the file from Excel 2013 and save the file back to .xls and it does the trick for me.  Hope this could help someone who had the same problem like I have.

• Proposed as answer by PY_12 Friday, December 12, 2014 3:58 AM
• Edited by PY_12 Friday, December 12, 2014 4:00 AM

Win 7 pro & Office 2007

re-named these before updating.

Outlook.exd

MSForms.exd

RefEdit.exd

but given that the Outlook one and copies of the other two are in a Lenovo folder system they are probably not active and I may have to re-vist the Outlook macros because the menu isn't working.

the wheeze has worked on Excel and that is paramount.

Thanks so much - Like @All Languages I was baffled when combobox controls suddenly stopped working in Excel 2013. Just had the one .exd - MSForms.exd - and everything worked fine after I deleted that. Phew!