Part I: Getting Started with Excel
Compatibility Mode section
If the active workbook is an old workbook opened in compatibility mode, you’ll see the
Compatibility Mode section in the Info pane. To convert the workbook to the current Excel
file format, click the Convert button.Be aware that this command deletes the original version of the file, which seems like a rather drastic measure. It’s
probably wise to make a copy of your workbook before you use this command.Closing Workbooks
After you’re finished with a workbook, you can close it to free the memory that it uses.
Other workbooks will remain open. When you close the last open workbook, you also close
Excel.You can close a workbook by using any of the following methods:■ (^) Choose File ➪ Close.
■ (^) Click the Close button (the X) in the right corner of the window’s title bar.
■ (^) Press Ctrl+F4.
■ (^) P ress Ctrl+W.
If you’ve made any changes to your workbook since it was last saved, Excel asks whether
you want to save the changes to the workbook before closing it.
Safeguarding Your Work
Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours creating a complicated Excel workbook
only to have it destroyed by a power failure, a hard drive crash, or even human error.
Fortunately, protecting yourself from these disasters is not a difficult task.
Earlier in the chapter, we discussed the AutoRecover feature that makes Excel save a
backup copy of your workbook at regular intervals (see “Using AutoRecover”). AutoRecover
is a good idea, but it certainly isn’t the only backup protection you should use. If a work-
book is important, you need to take extra steps to ensure its safety. The following backup
options help ensure the safety of individual files:
Keep a backup copy of the file on the same drive Although this option offers some
protection if you make a mess of the workbook, it won’t do you any good if the entire hard
drive crashes.
Keep a backup copy on a different hard drive This method assumes, of course, that
your system has more than one hard drive. This option offers more protection than the