Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 not allowing me to change colors by typing in a precise hex value.

Question

Over the last two days, I have lost the ability to type in a hex value to the color picker to change an object's color.  Anyone else experience this and know of fixes?  I can select from the pre-made swatches or gradient-color picker field, but I need to be able to enter precise hex values per my style guide.

Answer 1

JWoo,
What happens if you use the Web Safe RGB from the Color palette flyout and insert the values there?
For failures in general, you may try the list.
The following is a general list of things you may try when the issue is not in a specific file (you may have tried/done some of them already); 1) and 2) are the easy ones for temporary strangenesses, and 3) and 4) are specifically aimed at possibly corrupt preferences); 5) is a list in itself, and 6) is the last resort.
If possible/applicable, you should save curent artwork first, of course.
1) Close down Illy and open again;
2) Restart the computer (you may do that up to at least 5 times);
3) Close down Illy and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (easy but irreversible);
4) Move the folder (follow the link with that name) with Illy closed (more tedious but also more thorough and reversible);
5) Look through and try out the relevant among the Other options (follow the link with that name, Item 7) is a list of usual suspects among other applications that may disturb and confuse Illy, Item 15) applies to CC, CS6, and maybe CS5);
Even more seriously, you may:
6) Uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool (if you have CS3/CS4/CS5/CS6/CC), and reinstall.
http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html