It was on medium. The open  code is simple

Workbooks.Open Filename:=Me.DocBox.Value, ReadOnly:=True

or just Workbooks.Open Filename:=Me.DocBox.Value

either way gives me a 401 error  saying you can't open a modal form
while a nonmodal one is open. Well with read  only, I wouldnt think
the workbooks  open code would run at all since the doc  Im opening
that has a startup  screen is opened read only.

Let me change the code:

Dim Docname as string
Docname = Me.DocBox.Value
Workbooks.Open Filename:=Docname, ReadOnly:=True

How do I open docname, so that that docname doesn't run a startup
form?

Workbooks.Open Filename:=docname

It doesnt help to error handle the doc I'm opening  it FROM, say
OpenTool.xls

It goes into the error mode  of docname.