Is it possible to start Excel as a COM server anonymously?

I want to be able to start Excel as a COM server remotely or anonymously, without the user actually logging into the machine that Excel is installed on. This could be through using XLSREAD, XLSWRITE, or connecting to Excel through ACTXSERVER.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

In order to be able to start Excel as a COM server anonymously, you must ensure that the user that is executing the application has appropriate permissions. Follow the steps given below to check and, if necessary, set the permissions

1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Component Services

2. Open the 'Component Services' tree, 'Computer', and double-click on 'My Computer'.

3. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Navigate to the COM Security tab

4. For 'Access Permissions' and 'Launch and Activation Permissions', ensure that the user that is trying to start the compiled application has 'Local' permissions. For each of these subsections, ensure that you have clicked both 'Edit Limits' and 'Edit Default'.

5. Next, from the main panel, double-click on DCOM Config, right-click on Microsoft Excel Application and choose Properties.

6. Navigate to the Security tab, and ensure that for 'Access Permissions' and 'Launch and Activation Permissions', the 'Use Default' radio button is selected.