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The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 18:55

For some reason, my macro .xlsm Sudoku spreadsheet keeps crashing Office/Excel 2007 on the new computer.
The same spreadsheet worked fine on Office/Excel 2007 running Win10 LTSB 2016.

might you have different update levels of Office 2007 there?

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 18:55

Excel 2003 would run the spreadsheet just fine but the File Format Compatibility Pack only allows READ and no SAVE.

The 2007 compat pack for 2003 does allow loading and saving in both new and old formats. The option for saving in the new format is hidden at the very bottom of the "save as type" dropdown, but it is there.

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 18:55

Excel 2010's title bar "cloud fade" BS [no clue what its real name is] has got to be the UGLIEST title bar I've ever seen !!!
So didn't even try any of my spreadsheets in it.
I've ran 2010 in XP before and I don't remember there being this UGLY title bar.
So unsure if just something newer versions of Windows "magnify" into outright UGLY.

It only shows if you have desktop composition enabled.
In Windows XP, this is never the case (the feature does not exist).
In Windows Vista/7, this is only the case when using Aero (and it blends nicely there).
But since Windows 8, desktop composition is force-enabled and aero force-disabled, causing it to look bad.
There are various tools and methods to force the individual app to display without composition, which would restore the silver-ish titlebar found in XP.

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 18:55

I'm currently running a trial license (I think Microsoft calls it a "grace period") of Office 2013 that the office lab had in a "junk drawer".

see https://massgrave.dev

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 18:55

Not really a fan of the gigantic "toolbar" but Office 2007 and Office 2010 were gigantic as well compared to Office 2003.

There are various add-ins and plugins to restore the 2003-style toolbars to newer versions.

teknixstuff wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 19:50

might you have different update levels of Office 2007 there?

Impossible on my end. I have a very strong DISBELIEF in "updates".
I never (never!) do any updates. I do the install and run it as-is. DISABLE any-and-ALL "auto updates".
Been doing software that way for FORTY PLUS YEARS. *NEVER* been hit with any virus or trojan or malware!
I go so far as to INTENTIONALLY disable things like "spectre and meltdown" mitigations for the increased performance benefit of NOT running them.
Granted, that performance gain nowadays is close to 5%. But it used to be as high as THIRTY PERCENT.
Literally, make your computer "30% faster" just by NOT enabling spectre/meltdown mitigations.
I'm talking about 10+ year old computers. Newer computers aren't affected as significantly.

edit: Actually, I cannot claim 40+ years. I was big into "slipstreaming" XP updates and re-installing OFTEN.
But SLIPSTREAMING "update packs" aside, my computers avoid "auto updates" and HOSTS file is used to prevent software that doesn't have options to disable update-checks (ie, "phone home telemetry").

teknixstuff wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 19:50

The 2007 compat pack for 2003 does allow loading and saving in both new and old formats. The option for saving in the new format is hidden at the very bottom of the "save as type" dropdown, but it is there.

Cool! Not sure how I missed that over all these years.

teknixstuff wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 19:50

It only shows if you have desktop composition enabled.
In Windows XP, this is never the case (the feature does not exist).
In Windows Vista/7, this is only the case when using Aero (and it blends nicely there).
But since Windows 8, desktop composition is force-enabled and aero force-disabled, causing it to look bad.
There are various tools and methods to force the individual app to display without composition, which would restore the silver-ish titlebar found in XP.

Makes sense.
I was never a fan of Aero and it was one-of-many reasons that I never ran Vista/7 on my home computers and stuck with XP for as long as I did.

teknixstuff wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 19:50

see https://massgrave.dev

I'm familiar. I'm cautious as to on what forums I would admit that, lol.

teknixstuff wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 19:50

There are various add-ins and plugins to restore the 2003-style toolbars to newer versions.

I'll have to do some hunting. Any suggestions?

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 20:59

Impossible on my end. I have a very strong DISBELIEF in "updates".
I never (never!) do any updates. I do the install and run it as-is. DISABLE any-and-ALL "auto updates".

The-10-Pen wrote: *

02 Jan 2026, 20:59

edit: Actually, I cannot claim 40+ years. I was big into "slipstreaming" XP updates and re-installing OFTEN.
But SLIPSTREAMING "update packs" aside, my computers avoid "auto updates"

Microsoft released multiple different revisions of the Office 2007 discs and corresponding ISO files. Some of these have no updates applied, while others have SP1, SP2, SP3, and/or additional updates integrated into the ISO.

I like office xp/2007 but if i use Windows 7 or 8.1 i mostly used 2010 beckuse i think that version is more fitting for the os

I tried three different easily-found-via-Google TRIALWARE (was hoping for free) programs to return a 2003ish toolbar.
NONE OF THE THREE were worth "paying for" !!!

2003's toolbar was (for lack of a better description) the penthouse floor and the next floor down of a 100-floor skyrise building.
All newer Microsoft Office toolbars are the top *TEN* FLOORS *plus* the penthouse floor of the same 100-floor skyscraper.

Yeah, I know it can be "auto-hidden", but I don't like auto-hide, I want all of my buttons/icons *ALWAYS* visible.
I just don't want them taking up so many floors at the top of the building.

The-10-Pen wrote: *

03 Jan 2026, 00:25

I tried three different easily-found-via-Google TRIALWARE (was hoping for free) programs to return a 2003ish toolbar.
NONE OF THE THREE were worth "paying for" !!!

2003's toolbar was (for lack of a better description) the penthouse floor and the next floor down of a 100-floor skyrise building.
All newer Microsoft Office toolbars are the top *TEN* FLOORS *plus* the penthouse floor of the same 100-floor skyscraper.

Yeah, I know it can be "auto-hidden", but I don't like auto-hide, I want all of my buttons/icons *ALWAYS* visible.
I just don't want them taking up so many floors at the top of the building.

Yeah, you're right, I just tried a few of those add-ins myself, and they're all quite bad. Perhaps I'll make my own alternative then.

Office 2007 is clearly where things went to sh&t as far as toolbar real estate.
But it is also kind of basically the minimum version for modern hassle-free functionality.
2003 + Compatibility Pack seems fine and dandy, but also not exactly hassle-free if you deal with modern VBA macros.
Sure, I have a real-life physical Rubik's Cube, it's just much funner to spin them in macro-based Excel spreadsheets.

Oops. My Office 2013 (161 pixels) accidentally included the VM file/machine/view/input/devices/help header.
No sense redoing it, call it ~142 pixels inline with Office 2007 and Office 2010.

Point is, the space being used by the toolbar keeps growing and growing and growing.
Before long, it will look like one of those web sites where the "legaleaze" crap at the bottom of the page takes up EIGHTY PERCENT of your screen.