Whirlpool

in excel 2003 you can click on an .xls document and have them all open up in different instances, but in excel 2007 when you do the same they all open in the same instance which annoys the crap out of me.
is there any way to set it up so that they all open in different instances like the old version? i cant find any option allowing it.

It looks like a bit of a long-winded solution, but from techrepublic.com.com/520...essageID=2254006 :

My Computer
Tools
Folder Options
File Types
Choose XLS
Go to Advanced

Uncheck "browse in same window" in advanced window.

Then highlight Open
Edit

Make sure in the Action box it says &Open

Make sure in the application used to perform action it says:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"

Check the box next to use DDE

Remove anything that is in DDE Message box and DDE Application Not Running box.

Make sure the application box says: EXCEL

And in the Topic box it says: System

Can this also be done in Vista? if so how?

Thanks

easiest way is to open another instance of Excel actually!

If you launch the second instance of the application from the start menu and choose File > Open this should work...

MattShadbolt writes...

easiest way is to open another instance of Excel actually!

That works fine, however when opening multiple e-mail attachemnts or jsut double ckicking a file, they all open in the same instance.

My main reason to open is seperate instances easily, is to use seperate sheets accross two or more screens at once.

To open excel first, download attachement, or find and open a file from the excel menu, takes more time and frankly not efficient.

Hence why I want to do this, in excel 2003, there was an option to open new sheets in seperate window and that works fine, however excel 2007 does not.

OR at least what I have found so far

There is a setting you can enable within Excel 2007, similar to the option there was in 2003, but just a different location due to the changed GUI of course:

1. Open one instance of Excel 2007
2. Click on the Office Button (top left hand corner)
3. Click Excel Options
4. Go to the Advanced section on the left
5. Scroll down to the "Display" heading
6. Tick "Show all windows in the Taskbar"
7. Close Excel

Now whenever you open an Excel file it'll definitely open in a separate instance. :)

Jeneth writes...

Now whenever you open an Excel file it'll definitely open in a separate instance. :)

:( Sorry does not work, even though each sheet exists in it own TAB on the task bar, it is still a window in excell, thereby controlled by the "master" instance of excel.

Effect being that you can move the window, but every tab follows it.

wholovesvoip writes...

each sheet exists in it own TAB on the task bar, it is still a window in excell, thereby controlled by the "master" instance of excel.

and if one crashes they all go bye bye. this really pisses me off.

TheMaverick writes...

and if one crashes they all go bye bye. this really pisses me off.

Exactly, had that happen a few times now.

Surly there must be a way to overcome this in Vista, in XP that was easy.

Come on Microsoft, help us out here.

My Computer
Tools
Folder Options
File Types
Choose XLSX (XLSX for 2007 or XLS for 2003)
Go to Advanced

Uncheck "browse in same window" in advanced window.

Then highlight Open
Edit

Make sure in the Action box it says &Open

Copy one of the following and paste into "application used to perform action" (Check wether current path has OFFICE11 or OFFICE12 then copy and paste one of the following:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"

Check the box next to use DDE

Remove anything that is in DDE Message box and DDE Application Not Running box.

Make sure the application box says: EXCEL

And in the Topic box it says: System

I'm currently booted into XP but the last time I was in Vista I couldn't find the File Types dialog. In XP it's a tab of the Folder Options dialog.

Vista's Help doesn't say where to find it either. To change the association for a file type, Vista Help recommends you right-click > Open With and pick or browse to a program, then check "always use this program".

However that doesn't allow you to fine tune the file associations (such as editing the DDE settings) like you can in XP's File Types dialog.

Can this only be done by using regedit, in Vista?

Alan Martin writes...

Can this only be done by using regedit, in Vista?

No, there is a file associations screen in Vista. I've seen it but I dont remember where it was offhand. I'm in front of XP but will post back leter this evening when I get home if nobody has found it before me.

TimTheToolMan writes...

but will post back leter this evening

Its off the Control Panel.

Click on Programs and then its under Default Programs and is called "Make a file type always open in a specific program"