Excel Question

Q

Q

stepmosnter
Staff member
I recently helped my moms friend un- fuxor her computer after another evil friend wreaked havoc on it. As she was restoring some excel files from a back-up, a window popped up. It said something to the effect of: my docs/excel/{name of file} contains macros, macros may contain virus, always safe to disable them. It also said something about possibly losing some functionality without macros. ( I'm paraphrasing, cuz she told me this over the phone).
So I'm wondering:
1.) what are macros?
2.) how could they contain a virus?
3.) will she be able to update these files monthly, as she needs to, if macros are disabled?
4.) this window pops up everytime she tries to open these files and it never did before. Is this possibly a windows precaution since this stuff came off a cd?
 
Fuser Man

Fuser Man

blah, blah, blah
love that copy & paste.

If you perform a task repeatedly in Microsoft Excel, you can automate the task with a macro. A macro is a series of commands and functions that are stored in a Visual Basic module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task. You record a macro just as you record music with a tape recorder. You then run the macro to repeat, or "play back," the commands.
Before you record or write a macro, plan the steps and commands you want the macro to perform. If you make a mistake when you record the macro, corrections you make will also be recorded. Each time you record a macro, the macro is stored in a new module attached to a workbook.

With the Visual Basic Editor, you can edit macros, copy macros from one module to another, copy macros between different workbooks, rename the modules that store the macros, or rename the macros.


Virus.

To prevent the possibility that virus macros might contaminate your system, use this procedure to display a warning message whenever you try to open a workbook that contains a macro. Because this check does not determine whether macros in the workbook actually contain a virus, make sure that you know and trust the source of the workbook before you continue. For example, consider the possibility that contamination by virus macros may occur if the workbook is from an unsecure network or Internet site.

1.On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.

2.Select the Macro virus protection check box.


Hope this helps
 
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