Support and FAQ

A file with a .zip extension is called a Zip file and is simply a way of either compressing a file (to make it a smaller size for faster download) or archiving multiple files into a single file. Vertex42 uses .zip files for both of these reasons.

You must extract Excel files from a .zip file before opening them or the spreadsheet will open as "Read-Only" and you'll be unable to save changes.

Most of the time, to open a .zip file all you need to do is double-click on the file and it will open as if the file were a directory and you'll see a list of the files inside the .zip archive. At that point, you can drag and drop the files onto your desktop or into some other directory.

Another common way to Extract files from a .zip file (when using Windows) is by right-clicking on the .zip file and selecting "Extract all..."

If neither of these methods work, you may need to use an Unzip utility, which you usually get for free and your computer most likely already has an unzip utility built in. For more information, see the following articles:

• Zip Files in Windows
• Unzip Files on a Windows or Mac

If you are having problems downloading a purchased template, please contact me and include your receipt number and exact name of the template you purchased and I'll email you a copy.

The Gantt Chart currently uses the mm/dd/yy format to display the Start and End dates. To use the UK format for dates (dd/mm/yy), you can change the date format by selecting the cells containing dates and pressing Ctrl+1 to get to the Format Cells dialog box. Go to the Number tab and change the Custom format to "ddd dd/mm/yy". Depending on your system preferences, you may then need to enter dates as "26 Jul 09" to make sure that Excel interprets the date correctly.

To import tasks from Excel into Project is pretty simple if the data is formatted correctly. You could create a new worksheet and copy your data so that it appears with the headings Name (for the task names), Start (for the Start Date), Finish (for the End Date), and Duration. Then use the Import Wizard in MS Project. I don't provide support for MS Project (in fact, I don't even own it).