Brent
Several questions and issues here. I will try to deal with most of them.
Excel will try to open any files it finds in either the XLSTART folder or
"Alternate startup file location" or "at startup, open files in". This could
be the source of your 4 or 5 books opening.
I would check the Tools>Options>General and delete any path in "Alternate
startup file location".
I would move any files from the XLSTART folder that aren't
Personal.xls, Book.xlt or Sheet.xlt.
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For global styles, perhaps you mean a default workbook and/or worksheet?
Open a new workbook. Customize as you wish. File>Save As Type: scroll down
to Excel Template(*.XLT) and select. Name your workbook "BOOK"(no quotes).
Excel will add the .XLT to save as BOOK.XLT.
Store this workbook in the XLSTART folder usually located at........
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART
This will be the default workbook for File>New>Workbook.
Existing workbooks are not affected by these settings.
You can also open a new workbook and delete all but one sheet. Customize as
you wish then save this as SHEET.XLT in XLSTART folder also. It now becomes
the default Insert>Sheet.
More can be found on this in Help under "templates"(no quotes).
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For the Macros part........
Maybe Personal.xls which is a workbook that holds your global macros so's they
are available for all open workbooks?
Personal.xls is created the first time you record a Macro using Macro
Recorder.
Tools>Macro>Record New Macro. A dialog box will come up asking you name the
macro and where to place it. Pick Personal Macro Workbook from the dropdown.
Copy and paste a couple of cells then Stop Recording.
You now have a Personal.xls in your Office\XLSTART folder. You can go to
Visual Basic Editor(Alt+F11) to view the macro you just recorded in a Module.
You can add more macros by recording or by typing/copying them into the
Module.
You can do a File>Save from there or better yet hit ALT + Q to return to the
Excel window.
Then with Personal.xls active, hit Window>Hide.
When you close Excel you will be asked if you want to save Personal.xls. Yes!
It will open hidden next time you start Excel.
NOTE: when assigning macros to buttons or menu items you will have to precede
the macro name with Personal.xls.
i.e. Personal.xls!macroname
An alternative to Personal.xls is to create an add-in(*.xla) with your macros
in it and load it through Tools>Add-ins.
The benefit of this is that you don't have to precede the macro name with the
filename.
A disadvantage is that you will not see the macros in the Tools>Macro>Macros
dialog.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
