I frequently select individual cells in a worksheet while holding down the
CTRL key to use the status bar to sum, count or average the results without
needing to write a formula for a temporary calculation.

Now that I've been forced to use Office 2007 , I can't do that because
Office 2007 doesn't visibly highlight individual cells, only the row and
column headers of the selected cells! (My old PC was passed down to a new
employee and replaced with a new one, and we can no longer purchase Office
2003)

I've used Excel and Word for well over ten years, and now I'm filled with
hatred for this new version. In fact, I feel that way about the entire
Office 2007 suite so far.

Needless to say, I'm VERY upset about the random changes forced on me by
this new version of Microsoft Office, and I'm looking for solutions.

I already know about OpenOffice and would love to switch, but I don't have
the option right now, so I'd appreciate help with what I'm stuck with for the
time being.

Thanks in advance.

Michael.