XL98: How to Change the Alternate Startup Folder (183757)

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When you specify an alternate startup file location, Microsoft Excel opens any files in the specified location. The Alternate Startup folder is used in addition to the <hard disk>:Microsoft Office 98:Office:Startup:Excel folder.

To set an alternate startup file location in Microsoft Excel, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Click Select Button to Set the Alternate Startup File Location

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Preferences.
2. Click the General tab. Click the Select button to the right of the Alternate Startup File Location box.
3. Select the folder you want to use and click Select <Name of folder>, where <Name of folder> is the folder you have selected.

The alternate startup file location lists the folder you have specified. The next time you start Excel, all of the files in this folder are opened.

Method 2: Manually Type a Path for the Alternate Startup File Location

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Preferences.
2. Click the General tab. In the Alternate Startup File Location box, type the full path to the folder. For example, if you want Excel to open the workbooks in the Documents folder on your hard disk, type the following

   <hard disk name>:Documents

   where <hard disk name> is the name of you hard disk, in the Alternate Startup File Location box.
3. Click OK.

The alternate startup file location becomes folder you have specified. The next time you start Excel, all of the files in this folder are opened.

In some cases, you may type the wrong folder path, for example "<hard drive name>:doument" (without the quotation marks). In this case, Microsoft Excel cannot locate the specified folder; so, it clears the Alternate Startup File Location box. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The alternate startup file location settings are stored in the Excel Settings (8) file, which is located in the <hard disk>:System Folder:Preferences folder. If you specify an alternate startup file location and you can no longer start Excel, use the following method to clear the alternate startup file location.

1. Open the <hard disk>:System Folder:Preferences folder, where <hard disk> is the name of your hard disk.
2. Drag the Excel Settings (8) file to the Trash.
3. Restart Excel.

The alternate startup file location is cleared.