I'll do my best to cover each of your queries.
Patio, as you know, you don't get the tech pros at home without a minimum. Even so, the problem is there are lots of MSN pros, but their expertise often is an area not the needed one. So qualifications become even more important, starting with assurance the tech has passed MSN testing.
This eliminates automatic choice of the least expensive.
Of course one doesn't go this route until having researched and tried System Restore and checked with various forums; in this case including Excel forum; MSN Ask forum; this one, which I regard highly; and several others.
For various reasons one must also forego the usual easy workaround "solution", uninstall/reinstall, which tells you nothing as to cause -- and possible repetition of problem.
You can be sure there were enough side issues to keep my guy busy a full hour!
Soybean, the "cockpit trouble" allusion meant the fault was mine, not the program (although I do maintain MSN should have had more to say about THEME and its use/dangers!). I must have changed the theme on the laptop without slightest reason of collateral consequences. I don't even recall doing it, but I do know I was looking to change the overal screen appearance/color. Ignorance is NOT bliss!
Point is you must use one of the MSN choices, such as Windows classic, to avoid worksheet functions being unresponsive. As you say, using any standard MSN theme you have no issues.
It has nothing to do with XP vs Vista, or even the differences between Office2007 Standard and Office2007 Commercial Pro. Obviously I hadn't changed the XP Excel so it worked as usual; messing with Excel on Vista explains why the spreadsheet used to function normally, but did not subsequently. When problems appear one naturally looks at obvious reasons such as these differences. How in the world would I have any idea it concerned Themes? You won't find that in any FAQs, nor in forum replies concerned with which version of a product in use, ETC.
Cordially,
