can't close Excel ! --- workaround found but now doesn't work any more !!!!

[phinds]

I have a funky problem w/ Excel. I open an existing XLS file, activate a sheet, work create some charts on the sheet, then close the app, BUT it doesn't close. Here's the code:

'  in a public module, I have:
    Public xlApp As excel.Application
 
    ' everything here down is in same module
    ' "open" code 
    ' prior to executing these statements, task mgr shows no Excel
    Set xlApp = New excel.Application
    xlApp.Workbooks.Open xlsfilename
    ' excel instance now shown by task mgr
 
    ' work with excel app here
 
    ' "close" code 
    xlApp.DisplayAlerts = False
    xlApp.ActiveWorkbook.Close SaveChanges:=True, filename:=xlsfilename
    xlApp.Quit
    Set xlApp = Nothing
    
    ' at this point, task manager shows an open instance of Excel
    ' but WHY ???

I have created some chart objects while working in the sheet, but I set them back to nothing (Set chart1 = Nothing) before leaving the function that manipulates them.

I can't see why Excel stays open. Once I close my VB app, the hidden instance of Excel goes away, but it SHOULD go away when I close it and quit it and set it to nothing, right ?

What else can I do to get rid of it (short of manual intervention via the task manager, which isn't an option for my computer-illiterate users).

Thanks for any help