Excel 2007 : Count number of cells less than or equal to today's date

Someone please help
I am close to a nervous breakdown.

Can you tell me in SIMPLE terms how I can do the following... I have in coulm B a long list of dates in the format of dd/mm/yyy and in colum a i have todays date (set automatically by the =Now() formula) , I want to count the number of cells in column B that are less than or equal to this specfic date however each time I do it comes back errors or doesnt calculate it correctly. I have tried the countif formula but can't get it to work. I have amnually counted the lines as a control and each time the figure I get back is wrong.... Please help me!!!!!

If you just want a date, use =TODAY() not =NOW(), then use =COUNTIF(B:B,"<"&A1)
assuming the date is in A1.

Try selecting column A, then go to Data|Text to Columns and skip to the 3 window and then select Date from the column data format area, then select DMY from the adjacent dropdown menu and click Finish.

If that doesn't work, post a sample workbook (use paperclip icon in reply box to upload)

Did you try my Text-to-Columns suggestions.. because that was exactly the fix needed. Your dates are text entered dates... need to be converted.

See attached.

Following the steps provided by NBVC and then using COUNTIF, gets the attached.