Unusual behaviour - Linked Workbooks

[spydey]

I have 3 workbooks, Wkbk A, Wkbk B, & Wkbk C
Wkbk A has some in-cell formulas, vlookups, that reference ranges in Wkbk B & Wkbk C. They work as expected.

If Wkbk B or/and Wkbk C is/are closed, and I open Wkbk A, I get the "We can't update some of the links in your workbook right now."
I can either continue or edit the links. If I edit the links, the status for Wkbk B & Wkbk C is "OK". All the formulas work fine.
If I select continue, the formulas work fine. If I check the Wkbk statuses via Edit Links, check status, they are OK.

The unusual behaviour is that in the Edit Links window/setting, I have changed the Startup Prompt to: "Don't display the alert and update links". I also have the "UPDATE" set to Automatic.
I would imagine that I shouldn't get that "We can't update some of the links in your workbook right now." message with those particular options selected. Right?????
Yet it continues to pop-up everytime Wkbk A is opened and any of the other 2 Wkbks are closed.

I even went into the Excel Options > Advanced > General, and made sure the "Ask to update automatic links" option is unchecked.

I have tried several different combinations of all the various options but yet that message continues to appear, even though the corresponding Wkbks have not changed location and the status on each is OK.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, that might assist in fixing this strange behaviour? I just need the links to auto-update and not present a message when Wkbk A is opened.

Thanks in advance!!

-Spydey

 

[ExcelGzh]

You might have a function somewhere such as COUNTIF that won't work with closed workbooks.