# MS Office 2003 [Locking Excel/Word Toolbars]



## JHY-IC (Feb 9, 2005)

I have searched various forums, including this one, so I'm not sure there is a way to resolve this problem.

Every time I start Excel or Word [Microsoft Office 2003 Pro] I have to rearrange my toolbars. When I start Excel [for example], I'll arrange my toolbars [including dragging them]. After I have them all moved where I want them, I'll use Excel and then shut the app down. When I restart Excel, the toolbars will no longer be in the places I moved them to earlier. I have to rearrange them every time!

Is there a way to lock the toolbars in MS Office 2003 Pro, specifically Excel and Word?

Thanks!

Joseph


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## pcpro17 (Oct 9, 2006)

Which version of Windows are you using? Which service pack?


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## JHY-IC (Feb 9, 2005)

I'm using Windows XP Pro SP2 [Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519: Service Pack 2].


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## pcpro17 (Oct 9, 2006)

What are your access privelages on that computer? Is the computer a network or public computer?


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## Zack Barresse (Jul 25, 2004)

Joseph,

You may have a corrupt XLB file and/or Normal.dot template. The Excel toolbars are stored in Excel.xlb file and located in your hidden office files in (I believe) application data. Search for this file, delete it. Ensure Excel is closed when you do this. Restart Excel (a new xlb file will automatically be created). Sometimes this file gets bloated and out of control. This also means you will have to re-arrange your toolbars yet again as they will revert to default formation(s). The xlb file shouldn't be more than a few hundred kb in size.

HTH


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## JHY-IC (Feb 9, 2005)

I have administrative privileges on this computer as it is my own personal laptop [Dell 8100 Inspiron].

Thanks HTH, I'll delete the normal.dot and restart, ad I'll let you know if this works.

BTW, I've added some add-ins for Excel, and it is these add-ins that keep arranging themselves.


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## Zack Barresse (Jul 25, 2004)

So the default toolbars don't re-arrange themselves?? The add-ins _will_ re-arrange themselves (mostly). In general, add-in menus are programmatically added and deleted. A standard practice is to delete it when the add-in closes (which is generally when the application [Excel] is closed) and add it when the add-in opens (when the application [Excel] opens).

To fix this, you'll need scripting rights to the add-ins. It's really no easy task, but you must find where the command bar(s) are added and set their temporary parameter to false. Then you must change the close routine to only delete upon add-in uninstall. There are pros and cons that come with this and can be difficult sometimes.

If you do not have access to the add-ins code, then you're pretty much out of luck. You may want to find out who wrote them and contact them on the issue. I do not recommend hacking the VBA password, even though it is fairly weak; hacking is not a good practice and should never be done.

We'd be willing to help you here with your issues, but you'd need to post the code, which you'd need access to again. If you want, I could walk you through it on the phone (I have free incoming minutes  , pm for number if you'd like).


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