How to keep fixed duration "fixed"/ levelling by priority

[johnoze]

(Project 2007)

I'm totally flustered. I have a project that requires one group of tasks (performed by resource "A") to be started 1/24/11. The balance of the project starts 2/9/11.

I have resources that first become available 2/9/11 and have adjusted their avail dates in the resource sheet to start 2/9/11.

I have set my preferred tasks to a priority of 980. In levelling I have set order to "Priority,standard".

All my tasks are fixed duration, NOT effort driven. All tasks are constrained as "start as soon as possible".


When I calculate the project, or level it, it changes the duration of many of my tasks (This is driving me insane).

It also doe not move my preferred tasks prior to 2/9/11 (even though they do not use any of the restricted resources).

Question 1: How do I lock my durations and work so that they do not change. I just want the tasks to be moved around on the calendar during levelling, NOT changed.

Question 2: How do I get the preferred (higher priority) tasks to get shceduled earliest during the project.

Thanks