I've seen pieces of answers to pieces of this question but I've never seen a
complete answer that works. I can get close but there is always a problem
at the end. I thought I had done all of this kind of stuff myself over the
years and when a friend told me he couldn't get it working I just sent him
off examples of code that where the pieces I'd used. But in the end I'd
never used them exactly as stated below so my "do this and do that" memory
of what effects what just fell on its face.

Here's the complete flow needed.

Using the windows task scheduler:

A bat file is run

Excel is called and the "Auto_Open" macro is run.

Various VBA code does its thing, which does not include updating anything in
the workbook or does not include any kinds of prompt, dialog box. The VBA
code just reads and writes texts files and does nothing that would normally
require that an object or variable be set to NOTHING. The proper opens and
closes are done for the file numbers. Very vanilla code.

The workbook needs to close and that seems to happen.

Excel needs to quit, close, go away, gone-already, but it doesn't.

This is where I've seen dozens of "try this" suggestions but in the end
Excel doesn't quit, it just sits there with its grey panel with no workbook
open.

Ideally this whole process should run minimized as well.

Thanks for considering the challenge.