If you open both files in the same instance of excel, you won't have this
trouble.

If you open the file by double clicking on it in windows explorer, you may want
to try this so that the second file opens in the same instance.

Tools|Options|General|Ignore other applications (uncheck it)

--- or ---

Close Excel and
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /unregserver
then
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /regserver

The /unregserver & /regserver stuff resets the windows registry to excel's
factory defaults.

Maybe one of these will work for you.

Chrisinct wrote:

everytime I open 2 work books the second one opens and warns me that
personal.xls is locked for editing by myself. I don't currently have any
macros that I want available to all my workbooks. Is there anyway to
deactive this as I often need to have multiple workbooks open at the same
time.

--

Dave Peterson