Comments on: Opening Files on Startup

By: fzz

fzz — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:43:00 +0000

With respect to XLSTART locations, it's still a bad idea to put any data files into %ProgramFiles%. If there should be separate all users and current user XLSTART locations, then if the current user's XLSTART path were

%USERPROFILE%Application DataMicrosoftExcelXLSTART

then it'd seem the appropriate location for all users would have been

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%Application DataMicrosoftExcelXLSTART

I realize that the all user XLSTART directory has always been under %ProgramFiles%, so it seems MSFT isn't taking Office 2010 as an opportunity to fix this.

In fairness, the Lotus Notes client still defaults to putting users' mailbox files under the Notes directory in %ProgramFiles%, which is much worse since mailbox files update far more frequently than presumably static all user common startup files.

By: Jay W

Jay W — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:22:00 +0000

Thanks Jim,

That seems to have done it!

jay

By: Jim LeMay

Jim LeMay — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Try this… Office Button, Excel Options, Add-Ins. By “Manage:” select “Disabled Items”, then click “Go” to display a list. Hopefully you will see your xlstart file in the displayed list. Make your selection, then click “Enable” and restart Excel.

My xlstart file ends up here when I inadvertently select “yes” when Excel has crashed upon opening and blames my xlstart file.

By: Jay W

Jay W — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:53:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, I noticed that Excel 2007 stopped loading my personal.xlsb workbook. I have verified that the file is in

C:Documents and SettingsjaywApplication DataMicrosoftExcelXLSTART

but if I want to use the functionality in personal.xlsb I have to load it manually.

Has anyone seen this behavior before and/or have a suggestion as to how to restore the original functionality.

thanks,
jay

By: Jim Rech

Jim Rech — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:05:00 +0000

There are two XLSTARTs. The one under the program installation folder applies to all users of a machine, The one under the user’s folder just to that user.

By: DermotB

DermotB — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:14:00 +0000

If you use the shortcut method, you can make it even easier to run by adding the shortcut to your quick launch toolbar (next to the Start button) - you can drag and drop the shortcut on there.

The reason I mention this is that if you add a reference to the Microsoft Scripting runtime library in VBA, you can write code which creates the shortcut programmatically (the library has a special function) and put it in the quick launch toolbar (the library gives you the location of the quick launch folder). My work has an Excel utility which we use a lot, so we put it on the network, and the first time you run it, VBA creates the quick launch icon which you use from then on.