Applies to: @RISK

Simulation Stuck at “Initializing 100%” in @RISK Progress Window

 

Symptoms

When you click Start Simulation:
• The Excel status line shows startup messages
• The @RISK Progress Window appears
• The status reads “Initializing…” and reaches 100%
• The simulation then never proceeds, or starts iterations only after a long delay and runs very slowly

 

Cause

By default, @RISK runs larger simulations using multiple CPU cores. It launches several “worker” copies of Excel and coordinates them using Windows inter-process communication.

Problems occur when one or more worker Excel processes fail to start, do not respond to commands from the master Excel, or when the required multi-CPU add-in is disabled. In these cases, the master Excel waits for responses. After a long timeout it may run all iterations itself, which is much slower.

 

Diagnose Using the Progress Window

If the Progress Window is collapsed, click the chevron in the lower-right corner to expand it. This displays the status of each CPU used in the simulation.

If one or more processes show “Excel is not responding”, the master is waiting for those worker Excels to report back.

Resolution: Re-enable the RiskSimMultiCpu Add-In

The most common cause is that Excel has disabled the required multi-CPU add-in.

Steps:

1. In Excel, click File » Options » Add-Ins
   [Image: Excel Options – Add-Ins pane]

2. At the bottom of the window, change Manage from Excel Add-ins to Disabled Items, then click Go

3. Look for RiskSimMultiCpu8.xlam

4. Select the add-in and click Enable

5. Click OK, close Excel completely, then reopen Excel and rerun the simulation

 

Additional Notes

If there is no Progress Window at all, see Progress Window Not Displayed during Simulation. Corporate security tools, Excel crashes, or forced shutdowns can cause Excel to disable add-ins automatically.

 

 

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