[AB]

My company went to Office 2007 (from Office 2000) and I left soon after,
taking my computer with me. Since then I can't do anything! I want 2000
back...

For starters, drawing objects is much more inconvenient since I have to
go to different tabs to choose, for example, "select objects" and "group".
Why on earth would you not put these functions together?
Also, I make a lot of chemistry diagrams, which includes circles
representing atoms that I like to gradient fill so they are light in the
center and darker toward the periphery (you know - like actual physical
spheres are when you look at them). This used to be a one-click choice off
the gradient menu. For some reason it is no longer possible at all. I can
make dark at the center and light at the periphery, which looks awful, but
there is apparently no way to reverse it. And why can I not format the
background with a simple blue, say, that grades from light to dark? The
"gradient fill" option has multiple color bands that are not at all what I
want. I can't figure out this multiple "stop" business either - maybe because
my attempts have been half-assed, because I'm irritated at having to invest
time and energy in figuring out something I already figured out before.
But the real issue today, that sparked the subject line above, is this: I
have an Excel spreadsheet with a column of numbers. To the right is another
column of numbers. I want the third column to be the difference between the
two. So I enter the formula in column 3 and fill down. No good: Every cell
has the value of the first cell. Well, that's not right. So I use that little
box in the lower right hand corner of the top cell and pull down,
highlighting the column. Again all the cells have the value of the first
cell. What the heck? Oh wait, in very small type, in a sea of controls, down
in the far lower left corner, in blue against a background of a lighter blue
(how could I miss it?), is a button that says "calculate". Hitting that makes
the sheet do its job. Of course. How silly of me for not recognizing right
away that that MUST be how to do it! I'm sure the millionaire engineers at
Microsoft have a very good reason for making their system more complicated
than it needs to be and has always been, but is there any way to get this
damn thing to just do the calculation like before (in 2000) without my having
to make a SEPERATE request that it just do the damn calculation?

If I've been driving a Chevy, and I decide to upgrade to new one, I don't
want to sit down in the driver's seat to find that there's a stick control
instead of a steering wheel, the gas pedal is to the left of the clutch, the
brake is now a handle in the dashboard you pull out, and the horn is a button
on the ceiling. It doesn't matter if there are good engineering reasons for
all these things, they still add up to an INFERIOR product. I don't want to
have to relearn to do something I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO.

[T. Valko]

So, you're thrilled with Excel 2007? <VBG

Set calculation to automatic:

Click the Office button (round icon at the very top left of the UI)
Excel Options (at the bottom of the window) FormulasCalculation
OptionsAutomaticOK


--
Biff
Microsoft Excel MVP


"AB" wrote in message
...
My company went to Office 2007 (from Office 2000) and I left soon after,
taking my computer with me. Since then I can't do anything! I want 2000
back...

For starters, drawing objects is much more inconvenient since I have to
go to different tabs to choose, for example, "select objects" and "group".
Why on earth would you not put these functions together?
Also, I make a lot of chemistry diagrams, which includes circles
representing atoms that I like to gradient fill so they are light in the
center and darker toward the periphery (you know - like actual physical
spheres are when you look at them). This used to be a one-click choice off
the gradient menu. For some reason it is no longer possible at all. I can
make dark at the center and light at the periphery, which looks awful, but
there is apparently no way to reverse it. And why can I not format the
background with a simple blue, say, that grades from light to dark? The
"gradient fill" option has multiple color bands that are not at all what I
want. I can't figure out this multiple "stop" business either - maybe
because
my attempts have been half-assed, because I'm irritated at having to
invest
time and energy in figuring out something I already figured out before.
But the real issue today, that sparked the subject line above, is this:
I
have an Excel spreadsheet with a column of numbers. To the right is
another
column of numbers. I want the third column to be the difference between
the
two. So I enter the formula in column 3 and fill down. No good: Every cell
has the value of the first cell. Well, that's not right. So I use that
little
box in the lower right hand corner of the top cell and pull down,
highlighting the column. Again all the cells have the value of the first
cell. What the heck? Oh wait, in very small type, in a sea of controls,
down
in the far lower left corner, in blue against a background of a lighter
blue
(how could I miss it?), is a button that says "calculate". Hitting that
makes
the sheet do its job. Of course. How silly of me for not recognizing right
away that that MUST be how to do it! I'm sure the millionaire engineers at
Microsoft have a very good reason for making their system more complicated
than it needs to be and has always been, but is there any way to get this
damn thing to just do the calculation like before (in 2000) without my
having
to make a SEPERATE request that it just do the damn calculation?

If I've been driving a Chevy, and I decide to upgrade to new one, I don't
want to sit down in the driver's seat to find that there's a stick control
instead of a steering wheel, the gas pedal is to the left of the clutch,
the
brake is now a handle in the dashboard you pull out, and the horn is a
button
on the ceiling. It doesn't matter if there are good engineering reasons
for
all these things, they still add up to an INFERIOR product. I don't want
to
have to relearn to do something I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO.

[Learning Excel]

Between XL 2007 and VISTA (or whatever comes after ), slow motion people
like... me, will go back to pencils and calculators( or finger counting)if
you may.
--
Socrates said: I only know, I don''''''''t know nothing.
I say : I don''''''''t even know, I don''''''''t
know nothing.


"T. Valko" wrote:

So, you're thrilled with Excel 2007? <VBG

Set calculation to automatic:

Click the Office button (round icon at the very top left of the UI)
Excel Options (at the bottom of the window) FormulasCalculation
OptionsAutomaticOK


--
Biff
Microsoft Excel MVP


"AB" wrote in message
...
My company went to Office 2007 (from Office 2000) and I left soon after,
taking my computer with me. Since then I can't do anything! I want 2000
back...

For starters, drawing objects is much more inconvenient since I have to
go to different tabs to choose, for example, "select objects" and "group".
Why on earth would you not put these functions together?
Also, I make a lot of chemistry diagrams, which includes circles
representing atoms that I like to gradient fill so they are light in the
center and darker toward the periphery (you know - like actual physical
spheres are when you look at them). This used to be a one-click choice off
the gradient menu. For some reason it is no longer possible at all. I can
make dark at the center and light at the periphery, which looks awful, but
there is apparently no way to reverse it. And why can I not format the
background with a simple blue, say, that grades from light to dark? The
"gradient fill" option has multiple color bands that are not at all what I
want. I can't figure out this multiple "stop" business either - maybe
because
my attempts have been half-assed, because I'm irritated at having to
invest
time and energy in figuring out something I already figured out before.
But the real issue today, that sparked the subject line above, is this:
I
have an Excel spreadsheet with a column of numbers. To the right is
another
column of numbers. I want the third column to be the difference between
the
two. So I enter the formula in column 3 and fill down. No good: Every cell
has the value of the first cell. Well, that's not right. So I use that
little
box in the lower right hand corner of the top cell and pull down,
highlighting the column. Again all the cells have the value of the first
cell. What the heck? Oh wait, in very small type, in a sea of controls,
down
in the far lower left corner, in blue against a background of a lighter
blue
(how could I miss it?), is a button that says "calculate". Hitting that
makes
the sheet do its job. Of course. How silly of me for not recognizing right
away that that MUST be how to do it! I'm sure the millionaire engineers at
Microsoft have a very good reason for making their system more complicated
than it needs to be and has always been, but is there any way to get this
damn thing to just do the calculation like before (in 2000) without my
having
to make a SEPERATE request that it just do the damn calculation?

If I've been driving a Chevy, and I decide to upgrade to new one, I don't
want to sit down in the driver's seat to find that there's a stick control
instead of a steering wheel, the gas pedal is to the left of the clutch,
the
brake is now a handle in the dashboard you pull out, and the horn is a
button
on the ceiling. It doesn't matter if there are good engineering reasons
for
all these things, they still add up to an INFERIOR product. I don't want
to
have to relearn to do something I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO.