I'm back again, thought my issue was solved, but no such luck!
I have a huge basic Excel database with my record collection listed, and somehow a formula has got into it that prevents me from putting it in alphabetical order.
I have right-clicked and can't see any obvious indications of a formula - can anyone help me to find what the formula is, and get rid of it.
I don't see how anyone can find the formula without seeing the relevant spreadsheet. But you could use the option to "show formulas" -- go to the formulas tab and it should be there as an option. That will make it so that the formula in each cell, rather than the result, is shown.
I remembered importing some of the entries from a specific list, and that's where the formulas could be located. I took those entries out and re-typed them, re-alphabeticised, and it's all good.
Thanks everyone for your patience and input, much appreciated - again!!