OFF97: Read/Write Permission Required for Customized Toolbars

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you modify an existing or customized toolbar in Microsoft Excel, and then restart the program, Microsoft Excel does not retain the changes.

   -or-

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you do not have read/write permission to the toolbar settings (.xlb) file. To customize toolbar settings and then use the settings changes, Microsoft Excel 97 requires that you have read/write permission to the toolbar settings file.

This behavior is different than earlier versions of Microsoft Excel. Earlier versions of Microsoft Excel read customization changes from the toolbar settings file regardless of the permissions that you have to the toolbar settings file.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain read/write permission to the toolbar settings file, and then modify the toolbar.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Toolbars allow you to organize the commands in Microsoft Excel so that you can find and use them quickly. For example, you can add and remove menus and buttons, create your own custom toolbars, hide or display toolbars, and move toolbars. In Microsoft Excel 5.0 and 7.0, toolbars contain only buttons. In Microsoft Excel 97, toolbars can contain buttons, menus, or a combination of both items.

When you quit Microsoft Excel 97, changes you make to the menu bar and built-in toolbars, custom toolbars you create, and toolbars you display are saved in a toolbars settings file in the Windows folder. Microsoft Excel saves this settings file as <Username>8.xlb, where <Username> is your Windows or network logon name. If your computer is not connected to a network, or is not set up with a logon prompt, Microsoft Excel saves the settings file as Excel8.xlb.

For additional information about customizing toolbars, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   Article-ID: Q161235
   TITLE     : XL97: How to Use a Toolbar Settings File from a
               Network Share

REFERENCES

For more information about toolbars, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel 97 Help, type the following text

   toolbars