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HomeTroubleshooting@RISK for Excel: Simulation"Exception of Type PalExcelError" in @RISK 5.x

4.35. "Exception of Type PalExcelError" in @RISK 5.x

Applies to:
@RISK 5.x

I'm running @RISK 5.x. When I run a larger simulation with multiple CPU enabled, @RISK uses only one CPU. The progress window shows the master CPU as green, but the worker(s) as red with a status of "Exception of type PalExcelError". What is wrong?

When you select multiple CPUs but only one of them runs @RISK, sometimes the cause is add-ins or startup files that @RISK can't load in the extra copies of Excel.

We recommend that you upgrade to our latest release, because there have been numerous improvements to multi-CPU simulations in several releases since version 5. The upgrade itself may fix the problem. But even if it doesn't, we have more sophisticated troubleshooting tools that work with newer versions of the software. Your Palisade sales office can help you with the upgrade.

If you can't upgrade from your current version, please follow this procedure to make sure that you don't have anything that prevents @RISK from launching additional copies of Excel:

  1. In Excel 2003 or below, click Tools » Add-Ins; in Excel 2007, click the round Office button, then Excel Options » Add-Ins and Manage: Excel Add-ins, Go; in Excel 2010, click File » Options » Add-Ins and the Go button at the bottom of the right-hand panel.
  2. Uncheck all third-party add-ins, meaning all that are not part of Excel. The two Analysis Toolpaks, Euro Currency, Conditional Sum Wizard, Internet Assistant, Lookup Wizard, and Solver are the common Excel add-ins and are not a problem.
  3. Try again to run the simulation, and see if @RISK can now use multiple CPUs successfully.
  4. If not, look at your own startup files: templates, macro files and such. They could be located in folders called XLSTART or in the folder designated in Excel options as "on startup, open all files in". With Excel closed, temporarily remove all such files, and then try again to run @RISK with multiple CPUs.

Last edited: 2018-10-09

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