It has to be done through conditional formatting. For example, if cell value <= 1/1/2003 then set the background colour to red. Example: Format-> Conditional formatting... if cell value <= 1/1/2003 Format... etc
Use conditional formatting to set the condition when you enter a particular date.
You do not. Excel does not record the change date of an individual cell.
put an apostrophe before it, e.g '10-20
Refresh it.
The short answer is maybe, but you will not change the file date just by opening the file. When you save a file, it will display the date and time when you saved it (as set in your computer date-time settings). Excel will ask you if you want to save the file when you exit (assuming you did not change the default settings). You can choose to leave the file as is (same file date) or save the file (current file date). An exception to this would be determined by your auto save settings on Excel. If you make any changes to the file, Excel might automatically save the file (thus, changing the file date). Additionally, windows may save the last-accessed date. Bottom line, if you want to view an Excel file and not change the date, save the file to a different name as soon as you open it. Then examine the file copy.
The single quote, like this: '2/11/14
No. The "format" option of the TEXT function just formats the characters in a specificed way. For example, you can specify that the characters are formatted to look like a date, currency, time, etc.
I you have a worksheet that updates the date in a cell to the current date, edit the cell to change to the date you want displayed. Most likely, the cell is using the formula =NOW() or some other date function to automatically assign a date to the worksheet. When you replace the formula with the date you want to display, your date will remain until you change it.
a serial value to the date
numerical
Format / Cells / Date
Set the date before this.