Chaps,

thanks for the pointers, there was some interesting stuff
in there and I eventually found my way back to a pretty
involved thread from a year or two ago which went into a
lot more depth than I needed about the differences!

Bizarrely, I'd read the last parts of it when searching
before, but there hadn't been any link to earlier posts in
the thread. Oh well, must be one of the mysteries of
Google.

Thanks again, Pete.

-----Original Message-----
I guess you are missing the articles by Microsoft that
suggest you late
bind.

Early binding is excellent during development, but for
distribution, late
binding is probably the best bet.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;244167
INFO: Writing Automation Clients for Multiple Office
Versions

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;245115
INFO: Using Early Binding and Late Binding in Automation

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;247579
INFO: Use DISPID Binding to Automate Office Applications
Whenever Possible

Address some of the issues.