Excel Sending Me Nuts Help!

[Retrochic]

I've tried everything including turning off the PC and bringing the spreadsheet up again. Problem:
i have three columns of numbers A B C
I need to deduct B1 from A1 to get C1 and so forth down the sheet
easy to do C =B1-A1
When I put the formula into the cell C1 it co,rrectly calculates the answer. Normally I highlight the cell, in this case C1 and copy paste down the column to calculate the rest of the C column -this has worked every time.
This time I highlight the cell with the formula in, C1, and it copies the answer rather than the formula -ie if B1-A1 - 45, instead of copying the formula it copies the answer 45 -any ideas if I have pressed something I shouldn't? I've been doing excel for years and this has never happened.

[mccfluff]

when you paste you have paste options, third one is formulas, try clicking on that one - use mouse, right click not cntrl v

[Captain2]

It's a while since I used Excel. Have you tried putting the cursor on the bottom right hand corner of C1 (I think it changes to a + sign or something) and dragging down the C column as far as you need to?

[ummmm]

Take the answer out and try just dragging the formula down.

[tamborine]

Any sums I deduct are set in brackets

[Retrochic]

hang on I'm gonna try this stuff and 'I'll be back'

[Calibax]

Have you got the format of the cells set to TEXT instead of GENERAL?

[Ellipsis]

Normally when you paste in Excel, you paste formulas. It sounds like you have set it up to paste values by default. Take a look at this article to see how you might do this, and therefore undo it:

http://robservatory.com/how-to-simplify-value-pasting-in-excel/

[Retrochic]

Thank you for all suggestions -I've tried every one and none has worked. At the moment I have a formula in C1 the answer of which equals 112. The formula is shown in the bar across the top of the worksheet so I know that C1 contains the formula =B1-A1. I tried with and without brackets it made no difference. If I put the same formula in C2 I also get the correct answer (78), but try and copy/paste into C3 and I get 78 instead of the correct calculation (55). I could just go down the column putting the formula in manually but I have 75 lines to do. Is there any way I could have locked something? I've checked locked cells.locked sheet and locked workbook and nothing looks 'locked' I've been doing excel for nearly 15 years and this has never happened.

[rockyracoon]

Check Tools > Options > Calculation tab. Make sure Automatic is selected.

Found the above on another forum, might work.

[Retrochic]

Checked and column is set as usual to 'accounting' and paste is set to 'all' with operation 'non'

[Retrochic]

rocky I could kiss you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

problem was 'calculations' was set to 'manual' instead of 'automatic' How this has happened beats me but thank you so much. Its working fine now I've changed it

AB is great!! Thanks everyone for helping out,much appreciated!

[rockyracoon]

Glad it helps. I'll remember this if it ever happens to me :)

[Psybbo]

Starting with the formatted cell, go down as many cells as you want highlighting them, then select 'Fill down'

[ToraToraTora]

that happened to me the other week, I was mystified because I had no idea that anything other than "automatic" existed, I mean who would want that?