launch instance of excel without loading personal.xls

[Domenick]

Anyone know how to launch excel from a command line with a /switch that will
cause excel to NOT launce personal.xls?

 

[Dave Peterson]

You could start excel in safe mode:
excel /safe

You can search excel's help for: Customize how Excel starts

or
Description of the startup switches for Excel
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291288

 

[Peter T]

Another approach might be to start Excel as an automated instance, which
means no startup workbooks will load, not even addin workbooks. You could do
that from an already running instance of Excel, or from a simple vbs script,
eg

with createobject("excel.application")
..visible = true
..workbooks.add
end with

from a text editor like Notepad save as say "EmptyExcel.vbs"

FWIW, unlike starting in safe mode, this way would start Excel with full
customized toolbars

Regards,
Peter T

 

[Domenick]

Well, starting in safe mode DOES keep personal.xls from loading.
Unfortunately, starting in safe mode does not allow my workbook_open event to
run either. I all kinds of macro security errors. I guess running in safe
mode disables all of the "trusted locations" in the trust center? Any other
ideas?

 

[Dave Peterson]

Did you try Peter's suggestion?

Well, starting in safe mode DOES keep personal.xls from loading.
Unfortunately, starting in safe mode does not allow my workbook_open event to
run either. I all kinds of macro security errors. I guess running in safe
mode disables all of the "trusted locations" in the trust center? Any other
ideas?

 

[Domenick]

No, didn't quite understand it. However, if I just make the file personal.xls
READ-ONLY, I never get this prompt again. I would just have to uncheck that
attribute when I wanted to modify it, but that is not very often.

Thanks.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I didn't realize that this was your real question.