Excel addins disappearing from addin manager

[Tim Richardson]

I use Excel 2000 on Windows XP in a corporate environment, on a laptop.
I load two addins (PUP v6 and autosafe). Every week or so, these addins
disappear from the addin manager and are therefore not loaded. I keep
the addins in a non-standard location, so I must browse to the correct
folder to add the addin to the addin manager. I have been doing this
for some years without a problem. The problems began when I moved
offices;I suspect it is change in the way my Windows files and settings
are handled between my laptop and the network file server.

If the addin settings are stored in the registry, then does this mean
something is happening to my registry settings?

My home directory is mapped to a network file server and is
synchronised using the Windows "make available offline" feature. I
suspect a problem with this although I have a non-roaming Windows
profile.

would appreciate some hints. For example, what files are linked to
Excel's handling of addin preferences? the .xlb file?

regards,

Tim

 

[Bob Phillips]

Could it be that the system administrators have a registry cleaning
application, that removes registry entries that are not 'approved'?

 

[Dave Peterson]

I think that all this stuff is stored in the registry.

And (just a guess) if you store the addins in a network folder which isn't
always available, maybe excel is turning it off--since it can't find them.

The next time you're connected to the network, excel doesn't go back and reset
these options. (It's not self-healing <bg>.)

But maybe you could just add some code to your personal.xls auto_open procedure.

Option Explicit

Sub auto_open()

Dim myAddinNames As Variant
Dim testStr As String
Dim iCtr As Long
Dim EverythingOk As Boolean
Dim myAddin As AddIn

myAddinNames = Array("c:\my documents\excel\test1.xla", _
"c:\my
documents\excel\test2.xla")

EverythingOk = True
For iCtr = LBound(myAddinNames) To UBound(myAddinNames)
testStr = ""
On Error Resume Next
testStr = Dir(myAddinNames(iCtr))
On Error GoTo 0
If testStr = "" Then
'MsgBox myAddinNames(iCtr) & " Not found"
Beep
EverythingOk = False
Else
Set myAddin = AddIns.Add(Filename:=myAddinNames(iCtr))
myAddin.Installed = True
End If
Next iCtr

If EverythingOk = True Then
'do nothing
Else
MsgBox "At least one of the addins didn't load"
End If

'Thisworkbook.close savechanges:=false

End Sub

If you don't have a personal.xls, you could create a new workbook, put this code
into a general module, uncomment that "thisworkbook.close..." line and store the
workbook in your XLStart folder.

If you're new to macros, you may want to read David McRitchie's intro at:
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/getstarted.htm

 

[Tim Richardson]

Thanks Dave, what I will firstly do is lock the registry entries using
the privileges of being a local admin on my machine to see if network
administrator activity is the problem, then I will try adding code to
personal.xls