This does answer the question. Thanks to you and Julie for responding so
quickly. Now if only I could understand why the same software on two
different platforms would use different start dates. That part floors me, but
I guess I'll have to live with it.

Thanks again!

Dave

"Hari Prasadh" wrote:

Hi,

Pasting this from Help

About dates and date systems
Microsoft Excel stores dates as sequential numbers which are called serial
values. By default, January 1, 1900 is serial number 1, and January 1, 2008
is serial number 39448 because it is 39,448 days after January 1, 1900.
Excel stores times as decimal fractions because time is considered a portion
of a day.

Because dates and times are values, they can be added, subtracted, and
included in other calculations. You can view a date as a serial value and a
time as a decimal fraction by changing the format of the cell that contains
the date or time to General format.

Because the rules that govern the way that any calculation program
interprets dates are complex, you should be as specific as possible about
dates whenever you enter them. This will produce the highest level of
accuracy in your date calculations.

Excel supports two date systems: the 1900 and 1904 date systems. The default
date system for Microsoft Excel for Windows is 1900. The default date system
for Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh is 1904. You can change the date
system. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Calculation tab, and
then select or clear the 1904 date system check box.

The date system is changed automatically when you open a document from
another platform. For example, if you are working in Excel for Windows and
you open a document created in Excel for the Macintosh, the 1904 date system
check box is selected automatically.

Check out "About dates and date systems"

Regular posters would be able to help you better.
--
Thanks a lot,
Hari
India
"dlg1967" wrote in message
...
I am at a loss to explain this one and need help to try to resolve. I have
a
workbook that was created on a Macintosh and I put the date September 1,
2004
in a cell. I copy the file to a Windows machine and the date shows up
correctly. On the Windows machine, I open a new workbook and copy the date
to
the new workbook. The date now changes to October 30, 2000.

What I have found is that Excel for the Mac has a different number in the
cell (I call it the date offset but do not know what it is really called).
The number in the workbook created on the Mac is 36796, where on Windows
the
date has the number of 38231. Since the date showed up correctly in the
workbook created on the Mac when I opened it on Windows, I assume this
offset
is stored in the workbook. I created a new spreadsheet in the original
workbook on the Windows machine and the date shows up correctly, so that
proved my theory.

Are these offsets supposed to be different? If not, how can I resolve
this.
I have Office XP for Windows and Office 2001/Office X for the Mac (OS9 and
OS
X). Any ideas?

Thanks much
Dave