Problems opening and editing Excel files from SharePoint? (Windows Vista?)

When using Windows Vista there is a special annoyance when working with files stored on a SharePoint 3 document library. I just lost one hour finding a solution and I would like to share it with all of you cursing Windows Vista.

The symptom is: all the files are opened in "read only" mode, therefore is not possible to edit the files and saving them on the same document. Excel pushes you to save it locally, and that is certainly terrible because then you have to upload the files to the SharePoint complicating the work and of course multiplying the chances of overwriting the wrong version of the same document.

What you need to do is to "Check out" the document. Then you can work as you did with Windows XP.

Then there are some other interesting ways of working with that system of checking in out. But that will be covered in a future post.