default blank excel document??

[Scott]

Hello all.
I am trying to find out what the default Excel document is. Word has the
default.dat but what does Excel have? I have a user who had a problem and the
tech who "fixed" the problem replaced the default document with two other
documents. I have cleared out the XLSTART folder and that didnt work.

Please, any and all replies welcome and appreciated.

 

[Dave Peterson]

MSWord has Normal.dot.

Excel has book.xlt. It's a workbook that's set up the way you want and saved as
a template in your XLStart folder.

Excel also has a sheet.xlt template workbook. It's used when you add a new
worksheet to an existing workbook.

If you want to find out where that folder is:

Open excel
hit alt-f11 to get to the VBE (where macros live)
hit ctrl-g to see the immediate window.
type this and hit enter:
?application.StartupPath

For me (winXP and xl2003), I get:
C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART

 

[Scott]

Ooppss... it is normal.dot.. I had a brainfart when I did typed that.

What would I do to get a regular blank excel spreadsheet book to replace
those templates? Do I have to go in and edit the book that is in there and
save it as a book.xlt? Then place it in the XLSTART folder? Or can I find one
on a default machine that I can copy and put on his machine?
Please let me know when you get a chance.
All help and advise is appreciated.

Scott

 

[Dave Peterson]

You can just start a new workbook and modify it the way you want.

Then save to that XLStart folder.

(You could copy from another pc if you want, too. Whichever is easiest.)

 

[George Nicholson]

Unlike Word, Excel has built-in defaults that it uses *unless* Book.xlt or
Sheet.xlt exist.
In other words, if you find & delete those files, Excel should return to
something more like an out-of-the box state (Excel does not require those
files to operate, unlike Word and Normal.Dot)