Try checking:

Tools|Options|General Tab|Ignore other applications (check it)

Then have your dad click on the excel shortcut (put another on his desktop???)
to start that second instance.

(He shouldn't use File|Open to open more than one workbook (in the same
instance).)

And be aware that turning this setting off sometimes gives errors with workbooks
that contain spaces in their path/name:

C:\my documents\excel\my book.xls

The error will look kind of like:
cannot find c:\my ..
then
cannot find documents\excel\my
then
cannot find book.xls



JVC Dude wrote:

My elderly father uses lots of Excel workbooks for different lists etc, but
with2 or 3 open they all open within '1 Excel program'. Can Excel be set
to open each workbook into its own window rather like Publisher or even
Internet Explorer?

It would enable easier+ more understandable switching between panes and
more importantly closing the prog/ 1 file without saving won't mean he
closes ALL without saving as has been the case- on more than 1 occasion
now..
Using Autosave isn't always the best method either since it then 'freezes'
the file stopping the ability to UNDO

regards
AW

--

Dave Peterson