I have a couple of spreadsheet questions. 1.) I have two worksheets. How can I make a calculation in one worksheet and have the second worksheet automatically updated with the new information? 2.) I have a worksheet with conditional formatting for the color pattern (based on Number in each cell). I would like to have the same cell color patterns for the Variance which is stored in another worksheet. How do I copy the same color pattern to a separate worksheet only without the conditional formatting?

Linking Excel Worksheets

The ability to link two worksheets in Excel is useful as changes made in the first worksheet are automatically reflected in the second worksheet. When used correctly, this can ensure that all related worksheets are based on the most current information. For example, if you have a master spreadsheet that contains current prices for your company's products and each salesperson used a linked spreadsheet to create quotes, whenever you update the master price list, the spreadsheets used for quoting prices would automatically have the latest prices.

Here's how to do it:

·         Go to the primary worksheet and select the cell (or range of cells) that you want to link to the secondary worksheet. Use the "copy" command to copy the cell or cells to the clipboard.

·         Go to the secondary worksheet and select the cell that should contain the linked data. Use the "Paste Special" icon to open the Paste menu.

·         Choose "Paste Link."

Now, whenever you change the value of the primary cell or cells, the secondary cell or cells in your other worksheet will also be changed. The underlying formula looks similar to this (with B2 representing the specific cell location):

='[WorksheetName.xlsx]CellLabel'!B2

Copying Conditional Formatting

As far as copying the conditional formatting to another worksheet goes, you have a few options. The first is to use the Format Painter tool. However, while the Format Painter will apply the color pattern to your new list, it will also apply all other formatting options which it sounds like you do not want.

The next option is to see if the original conditional formatting color pattern is a stock "color scale." If so, choose that same color scale for your new list. To do this, you'll need to click Conditional Formatting > Color Scales and then look for your pattern in the list.

A third option involves using the Rules Manager to create a new rule based on the existing one. This is more complicated and will involve some experimentation. To do view an existing rule, highlight your original list, click Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules > Edit Rule. This will show you the exact settings for the current rule. Write down the specifics and then go into the new worksheet where you can try recreating the rule and tweaking it to meet your specific needs. Highlight the cells and click Conditional Formatting> New Rule and try to recreate the color scale and add any other specific rules you'd like to apply.

Microsoft Word and Windows Live Mail (and other programs) feature an auto correct function, though I'm not sure that the operating system itself does. Below are a few suggestions for common programs with auto correct features that don't work:

Windows Live Mail

Since you have a new computer with Windows 7, it likely came with Windows Live Mail. If your auto correct entries are not working in this email program, it may not be turned on. To turn auto correct on, click the main file menu dropdown button in the upper left of the screen and choose Options > Mail > Spelling. Make sure a checkmark is in the box next to "Automatically correct common capitalization and spelling mistakes" and then click OK.

Microsoft Word 2007 / 2010

In the latest generations of Microsoft Word, you'll want to make sure that you have auto correct turned on by going to the Office button, choosing Word Options, and then choosing Proofing > AutoCorrect Options. Make sure that there's a checkmark in the box next to "Replace text as you type."

Updating and Repairing Word

If Word won't save new entries that you create within AutoCorrect Options, the next step would be to update Word. Microsoft regularly issues updates that repair known issues that affect its programs. It's possible that some external program is interfering with Word's ability to save auto correct entries. It's also possible that Microsoft has issued a fix via an update. To check for updates, go to the Office button, choose Word Options > Resources > Get Updates > Check for Updates.
If an update doesn't fix the problem, try repairing Word by going to the Office button and choosing Word options > Resources > Run Microsoft Office Diagnostics.

Auto Correct List File

Another possibility is that the “AutoCorrect List” (ACL) file permissions are set to read only. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Microsoft Office folder (it's usually in Program Files > Microsoft Office) and search for *.acl. You'll see a list of AutoCorrect List files with names such as MSO.acl. There may be several files listed. One at a time, right-click each file and choose Properties. If the permission level has been set to Read Only, remove the check mark and save by clicking OK.

Interference from Adobe Acrobat

Finally, if your computer has Adobe Acrobat version 7.0, it could be interfering with Word's ability to save auto correct entries. This is an older problem affecting Word 2002 and 2003 that presumably has been addressed by later editions of Adobe Acrobat.

My OS is Windows XP and I have installed two versions of Microsoft Office, 2003 and 2007. First, I installed 2003, then 2007. When I open the software, especially Excel, the 2007 version opens by default. I want Office 2003 to be my default version. Please help me.

Two Installations of MS Office
Fortunately, this is a relatively easy problem to solve, though it will take a few steps. First, you'll need to create shortcut items for your Office 2003 programs. After doing that, you'll need to change the file associations for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Creating MS Office Shortcuts
How do you generally open your Office programs? By clicking on the icons after you click the Start button? If so, did you know you can remove icons and place new ones there? To do this, click Start and then right-click one of your Office icons, let's say Excel. Click "Remove from this list." Don't worry, this doesn't remove the program from your computer; it just removes it from the Start menu.

Now that Excel 2007 is removed from your Start menu, let's create an icon for your Excel 2003 program. Go to Start > Programs and then scroll until you find Microsoft Office. You'll need to open that folder and find Excel 2003. Once you've found Excel 2003, right-click it and choose "Pin to Start Menu." It will now appear in your list of program icons that appear whenever you click Start. Repeat this process for Word, PowerPoint, and any other Office 2003/2007 programs you want to change.

Changing the Default Office File Associations
Again, this is easy, but you'll need to repeat the process for each Office program such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Go to Start and right-click it. Choose Explore. This opens Windows Explorer. Navigate to a folder where you have Word files stored such as My Documents. To change Excel's file association, find an Excel spreadsheet and right-click it. Choose "Open With" followed by Browse. You want to browse your computer for Excel 2003 since this is the program you want to use with all Excel spreadsheets by default. It's most likely located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11. (Excel 2007 would be in a folder labeled OFFICE12). Make your selection but also make sure to place a checkmark in the box that will make Excel 2003 the default program for all files of that type. That way, anytime you click an Excel file, your computer will know to use Excel 2003, and not Excel 2007, to open it. Repeat the process for Word, PowerPoint, and any other Office file types that you want to change.

Typically, if the problem is with your software application (in this case, Microsoft Picture Manager), then a repair job or a reinstallation of the software typically fixes the problem.

Repairing Microsoft Picture Manager: Clean Up Installation

On the off chance that the repair/reinstallation of Microsoft Picture Manager did not go well, attempt to make the repair once more. Additionally, if your installation has failed, it is possible that some of the old files were not removed. Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to remove dangling files from the computer, and then try to use the application again.

Repairing Microsoft Picture Manager: Clean Up Most Recently Used File

The Microsoft Picture Manager application saves a list of most recently used files. If you have removed one or more of the files, it can affect the performance of Microsoft Picture Manager. To resolve the issue, follow these steps. Make sure that you back up all of your important data first since you will be editing your registry.

• Browse to the following: %userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\OIS.
• Search for the file: OIScatalog.cag.
• Double click on the file, OIScatalog.cag.
• When prompted to select the application to open this file with, select Notepad.
• Remove any lines in the populated list that begin with "mru path."
• Try opening the pictures that you were having problems with.

If you accidentally delete the OIScatalog.cag file, you don't need to worry since Microsoft Picture Manager will recreate the file the next time that you use it.

Repairing Microsoft Picture Manager: Assorted Fixes

Try each of the following just in case your recent problem with Microsoft Picture Manager is related to one of them:

• Scan the computer for viruses and spyware.
• Complete a disk cleanup.
• Update your video driver.

Restoring Corrupted JPEG Files

Unfortunately, the problem that you are experiencing with pictures that open with random lines and inappropriate coloring could be the result of corrupted jpeg files rather than an issue with your Microsoft Picture Manager Application. This possibility becomes even more likely due to the fact that you have attempted to repair or reinstall your Microsoft Office 2003 application.

If some of your JPEG Files have become corrupted, then whenever you attempt to open them, the distortions (random lines, bad colors, blurring) will appear. Sometimes, JPEG Files are damaged when the original file is compressed on the computer. If you believe this could be the problem, then you can search for a utility that repairs corrupted JPEGs such as JPEG Recovery or PixRecovery.

IncrediMail is a commercial, advertising supported email client that is compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems and most Internet browsers. IncrediMail is popular for adding graphic technologies to emails including emoticons, ecards, sounds, animation and 3D effects. IncrediMail is graphically sophisticated and is currently available in 12 languages worldwide: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified and Japanese.

In 2001, only one year after its international launch, IncrediMail downloads reached 1 million, and its downloads are now in the millions annually. Proponents of IncrediMail laud the personalizing effects available through the program and its fun, original style that is thought to improve upon the monotony of other email clients.

IncrediMail is a free download that generates revenue with advertising and pop-ups that are written into the program. The Incredimail site supports the sale of products and services and displays external advertising. In addition to the regular Incredimail program there is also an Incredimail Gold Gallery that is available for purchase. Animated advertising is attached to the bottom of sent emails by the IncrediMail program in order to reach recipients of IncrediMail as well as senders.

Some users and critics dispute the validity of IncrediMail. It is debated on user discussion websites whether or not IncrediMail qualifies as spyware. The potential for the program to run unwanted code in the background is high due to the size of the file. The increased size of HTML emails makes Incredimail difficult to distinguish from spam in most automated filters and, as a result, some spammers have used this similarity to disguise their mail to get through filters. For users there are drawbacks to using IncrediMail because it is written in HTML and because of increased message sizes due to attached animation and embedded images. These features make messages take longer to send and require more bandwidth than text only mail. The operations of IncrediMail can slow also slow down the processes of a computer generally.

There are also legal controversies surrounding Incredimail due to the large amount of personal data the program collects. IncrediMail gathers statistics about the number of emails sent, the number and type of attachments used, and the dates and times of mail sent. Rather than refute such criticism, the risks clause included in the Incredimail software license agreement warns users of vulnerability to various security issues and does not ensure that use of the software is secure. As well, the license suggests that users may be subject to the unauthorized invasion of privacy and exposure, fraud, forgery, trespassing, and system contamination.

Microsoft Word AutoCorrect and Adobe Reader

It sounds as though you've found discussions covering Microsoft Word not saving AutoCorrect entries because of a conflict created by an older version of Adobe Reader. Since you've tried the steps recommended for overcoming that conflict, let's assume that something else is going on. For example, it's possible that your copy of Microsoft Word is malfunctioning.

Updating Microsoft Word

Like any software program, Microsoft Word is not immune to file corruption and conflicts with other programs. Fortunately, Microsoft is constantly fixing bugs as they're discovered. These fixes are issued through Office updates. If Microsoft has discovered a bug that interferes with saving AutoCorrect entries and has since fixed that bug, updating Word should do the trick. To update Word 2007 and 2010, go to the Office button, click Word Options, click Resources, click Updates, and click "Check for updates."

If you have Word 2003, go to Microsoft's Word 2003 Solution Center and find the "Check for Updates" > Office Updates section.

Repairing Microsoft Word

If one of Word's program files has become damaged, it could be interfering with your AutoCorrect feature. If this is the case, repairing your installation of Word will replace the bad program file with a good one. In Word 2007, go to the Office button, click Word Options, Click Resources, click Run Microsoft Office Diagnostics, and click Diagnose. This tool scans your copy of Office for damaged or missing files and then repairs the damage.

In Microsoft Word 2003, this built-in tool is called the Detect and Repair Tool. When in Word, click on Help > Detect and Repair > Start.

The AutoCorrect List File

Finally, it's possible that the permissions for your "AutoCorrect List" (ACL) file have been changed to read only. If you navigate to your Microsoft Office folder in Windows Explorer and search for *.acl, you should see a list of AutoCorrect List files. Depending on your version of Word, the file may be named MSO1033.acl. Right-click the file, choose Properties, and see if the permission level has been set to Read Only. If so, remove the checkmark next to Read Only.  

Installing Software from a CD or DVD

Normally, when you have a program to install from CD or DVD, when you insert the disk, the setup program automatically launches and all you need to do is follow the prompts. However, this doesn't always happen as expected. For example, as you've just experienced, an interruption could interfere with the installation program requiring you to restart the process manually. In addition, some CDs or DVDs may not have an "autorun" file or the computer's "auto play" settings may have been changed. Let's go over a few techniques for overcoming these obstacles.

Manually Launching the Setup Program from a CD or DVD

For those occasions when the setup program is interrupted and you must start over or when the disc doesn't launch automatically when inserted, manually launching the setup program is fairly easy. Sometimes popping the disc out and reinserting it is all it takes. If you'd rather not do that, right-click the Start button, choose Explore, and click the CD/DVD drive where the disc is located. You should see a list of the disc's files. Most setup programs are aptly named setup.exe or install.exe. Simply click the setup file and the setup program will launch.

Changing Your Computer's AutoPlay Options

If your computer no longer automatically launches any CDs or DVDs, it's possible that the AutoPlay settings have been changed. To change this, go back into Windows Explorer by right-clicking Start and choosing Explore. This time, right-click the CD/DVD drive, choose Properties, and click the AutoPlay tab. (In Windows Vista and Windows 7, you can also change these settings via Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > AutoPlay.)

Here, you'll see a list of actions that you can specify for a variety of media types. In this case, you want to set the action for "Software and Games." Depending on your operating system, the choices may vary slightly. The choices are:

• Install or run program from your media
• Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer
• Take no action
• Ask me every time

Since you want the installation program to launch automatically, choose the "install or run program from your media option" and click the Save button.

Uninstalling Word 2007 Updates

I researching this problem on the Internet, I'm not convinced that this is an update related problem. If you suspect that it is, you can rollback the last few updates by going to your computer's Control Panel and selecting Add and Remove Programs (or Programs and Features in Windows Vista). Once Add and Remove Programs populates, look for the suspected Office updates. Depending on your version of Windows, you may need to click the View Installed Updates link first. From there, you should be able to scroll through all of the latest Office updates. Highlight the one you want to uninstall and then click the Uninstall button.

The Word 2007 "Check the drive to make sure the door is closed" Permission Error

Quite a few forum threads discuss this unusual permission error. While this is occurring with Word 2007, it's not a new error at all. In fact, Microsoft discusses this error in knowledgebase article 122379 as it relates to Word 97! In Word 97's case, the problem is related to the Universal Naming Convention (UNC). When working with documents from locations with specific drive letters (like CDs or flash drives), Word uses a UNC location. The workaround was to edit the Windows registry to include a DontUseUNC command. You can read more about it on Microsoft's Support page. However, because it's specific to Word 97 and is nearly a decade old, don't use these instructions as they likely won't work for your system.

Another Microsoft knowledgebase article, also an old one, indicates that this problem could be related to using extended characters in a file name such as if you are using a non-English version of Word and saving the file to a Windows 95 computer over the network. While this is doubtful in your case, it does show that this particular error is difficult to pinpoint. It seems to be related to naming and/or using removable storage for saving the document.

Another older knowledgebase article indicates a possible problem with the Office Shortcut bar. Again, the information is so old that it may be irrelevant. However, if you have the Office Shortcut bar running, it might be worth shutting it down to see if that solves the problem for you.

In the meantime, see if the problem occurs when you work on Word documents stored on your hard drive. From what I've gathered through browsing the discussions, this problem is related to working on documents stored on USB drives and CDs. Some of the people have worked around the problem by formatting their USB drives to the NTFS file system rather than FAT. Others copy the files to their hard drives, save them to their hard drives, and then copy the edited document back to the USB drives once they are done editing.

Recovering the Damaged and Lost Word Files

Finally, you may be able to recover the damaged and lost files with a product such as Data Recovery from ParetoLogic software. This product has a free "scanner" version that you can download to see if it can detect the lost Word documents. If so, you can decide whether the price is right to recover it once and for all.

It sounds as though you might be dealing with a failed Roxio Creator 2010 installation that could be due to a number of reasons. That being said, there are several strategies you can try to fix the problem. Go through the following tasks one at a time until you find one that resolves your problematic Roxio Creator installation.

Install Windows Vista Service Pack 1

In order for Roxio Creator 2010 to install properly on a Windows Vista operating system, you need to have Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed. It is easy to miss this requirement when looking at the list of system requirements, but without SP1, Roxio Creator 2010 does not install properly. Check to see if you have Service Pack 1 for Vista on your computer.

If you don't currently have SP1 for Windows Vista installed, download it and then attempt to reinstall Roxio Creator 2010 after you uninstall your failed installation. The easiest task might be to simply complete an update for Windows.

Temporarily Turn Off the Firewall/Anti-virus Application

It is possible that your firewall/anti-virus application is interfering with the installation of Roxio Creator 2010. Temporarily turn off both types of applications off and try to install Roxio Creator. Many of these programs run in the background so it is easy to forget that they are on. Make sure that you turn both your firewall and anti-virus application back on when you are finished. Zone Alarm has been flagged as a problematic program when installing Roxio Creator. Just turn it off temporarily if you have it installed and then turn it back on.

Failed Roxio Installation

If you already had SP1 for Vista installed and still could not get Roxio Creator 2010 to install, then it sounds as though you might be dealing with a failed Roxio Creator installation. First, you need to uninstall Roxio Creator 2010 completely and start over with a fresh installation of the application. Make sure that you close out all other applications while completing the installation for a better experience and a greater chance at a successful installation.

Primavera and Oracle

Oracle acquired Primavera in October 2008 and is now the sole means of support for Primavera products including Project Planner. From what I can tell, you're right, this is no ordinary software. It is a project management tool. From the looks of it, it is designed for network installations. I found a nearly 600-page installation guide online detailing how to install Primavera P6 on a network. I'm not sure that this is the exact same software that you have, but this is telling me that this installation is most likely beyond both of us.

One thought that comes to mind is that you may have the Primavera Project Planner client software that may not install properly if you don't also have the server software installed. For example, when researching Primavera Project Planner 6.1 installations, I came across instructions that indicated that a user must first be connected to the organization's Virtual Private Network before attempting the installation. While the installation instructions looked straightforward, this could be the problem. Are you installing this on any sort of network? If so, make sure that you are signed into the network first. Once installed, you'll need to enter your login name and password for Primavera.

Primavera Resources

While I'd like to be able to provide step-by-step instructions, I'm afraid this is one of those projects that may require an IT professional. In the meantime, here are a few resources that I found that may help:

Here's the link to the Primavera P6 Administrative Installation Guide.

Here's the link to Oracle Primavera Support (requires registration)

I wish I could be more help, but it sounds like this is not a standalone program that you can simply install on a single computer. It looks like a network-wide, server-client tool.