Discussion on:

Office challenge: Can you help a user who wants all workbooks to default to R1C1 referencing?

From a new file, keep the setting R1C1 in settings
save the file as MODEL in :
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOFFICE11XLSTART
File name must be : workbook.XLTS
All worksheet will get this style but not old files yet registered.

So you want R1C1 style of cell nominclature; all you do is open Excel and then click the Office Button, the upper left corner of the application, then select Excel Options, then select Formulas and then in the Working with formulas section, check the box R1C1 style and lastly click OK.

Wow, this request takes me back. Microsoft MultiPlan was what used the R1C1 location references and , perhaps, it was better. But its time to move on.

You could run the following VBA script on startup (Google will explain you on how to do this on startup):
Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1

Should make the deal.

Create a new workbook and set the referencing to R1C1 in Excel Options Formulas (General in 2003).
Save this work book as a Template (.xltx) in the ... /START folder. The name of the workbook MUST be BOOK.XLTX and nothing else.

Typically in Windows 7 the path would be:
C:\Users\[user login]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART.

In Windows XP it would be:
C:\Document and Settings\[Login Name]\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART.

The next time you open Excel all new workbooks will use the R1C1 (so useful for VBA programmers) notation.

Didn't test this in 2003. Only in 2007 using Win 7.

How about an Auto macro?