How to stop Excel 97 from prompting that file was created with a later version

Can you try setting a before save macro that would disable that warning? something like

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeSave(ByVal SaveAsUI As Boolean, Cancel As Boolean)
  application.displayalerts=false
  activeworkbook.save
  application.displayalerts=true
  cancel=true
End Sub

The only way I can think to solve this is to open the file in Excel 2007 and do a Save as, choosing the Excel 97-2003 Workbook format. Then you should be able to use it with Excel 97 without the warning.

I've had the described problem too. I even searched in all dll's of Excel 97 - without success. The only way to solve the problem is connected with many manually work.

If you want to take that on yourself do the following:

Create an new Excel 97 workbook. Also open your workbook with the message "The file was created using a later version of Microsoft Excel ........". And now the manually work begins.

Copy the contents of every sheet, sheet by sheet into in the same-named sheets of the new created Excel 97 workbook. At last you have to copy all VBA macros into the new one. Finished! Ready! I wish you great success. Dr. Peter Schoop, Germany

The manual work that Dr. Schoop describes may be significantly reduced:

Right-click on the 1st sheet tab
"Select all sheets"
"Move or Copy" (checking "Create a copy")

The VBA macros still have to be copied manually.