Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions

[Darren Hill]

I have Excel 2000 and Excel 2007 installed on my machine.
When i create a personal macro workbook in Excel 2007, it creates it in
xlsb format, and also places it in the same folder that Excel 2000
checks for the personal Macro Workbook.
Is there a way to use the same Personal Macro Workbook for both Excel
2000 and Excel 2007?
If not, where should I save the personal macro workbvooks for each
version of Excel?

Thanks,

Darren

 

[Chip Pearson]

What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use. E.g.,
I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007. Each of
these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup. Each of those
folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has the
code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the "open at
startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions XLStart folder.
When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files and then via the
shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).

--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)

 

[Darren Hill]

That's a great approach.
Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do
you use a personal.xls file as well?

 

[Darren Hill]

By the way, I'm having trouble setting up this scheme.
I have a "C:\DarrensSettings" folder where I keep common files & locations.
I've created the following folders:
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2007"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2000"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XLCommon"
I've set up the xl2007 & xl2000 folders as startup locations, and put
shortcuts in them that point to the XLCommon folder.

Now whenever I start up either Excel I get a message that the XLCommon
folder can't be accessed as it's read-only.
When I try to change this setting on the folders in windows explorer, it
seems Windows keeps changing them back to Read Only.
I'm using WinXP SP2.

And now that I check, every single folder that I've checked so far,
whether in my documents or elsewhere is like this. Very worrying.

 

[Darren Hill]

Ignore my previous posts about folder permission: I wasn't following
Chip's instructions properly (the old "ID 10 T" error).

But now I am having a problem. I've created an empty Personal.xls file
and put it in my XLCommon folder, and set up shortcuts to point to it.

It seems if I make any changes to this file in XL2007 (such as Unhiding
the workbook and then Hiding it again and doing nothing else), it gets
changed to a format that XL2000 can't recognise, AND I get a warning
whenever XL2007 starts up that the format does not match the extension.

It seems I can make changes in the VBE, and it opens fine in both - but
if I make any changes in the normal Excel view, in Excel 2007, it screws
up the file even if I save in Exel 2003 ocmpatibility mode.

Is this expected behaviour?

Thanks,
Darren

 

[Chip Pearson]

Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do
you use a personal.xls file as well?

I don't have a personal.xls file. There is nothing particularly special
about personal.xls -- it is just another workbook. I have most everything in
my version-independent file XLStartAllVersion.xls file. I supposed it could
be named personal.xls, but there is no advantage to using that name, so to
answer your question, yes, XLStartAllVersions.xls replaces what would be
personal.xls.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)

 

[Chip Pearson]

Make the shortcuts point to the actual files, not the directory.

--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)

 

[Herbert Seidenberg]

I had the same problem with Excel 2003 and 2007
installed on the same machine.
This procedure worked for me:
Search for Personal.xls.
Erase all Personal.xls except at
Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\XLSTART
Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\XLSTART
If Personal.xls is not there, put it there.
Excel 2003 and 2007 will look for Personal.xls at
....\Office11 and ...\Office12 respectively.
When you close Excel 2007, save the file as
a binary file, Personal.xlsb and delete the original.