Clicking on .xls files doesn't open it in Excel properly

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Guest

After I installed (and then uninstalled because I didn't like it) IE7.0 I
developed a problem with Excel.

Usually when I would click on a .xls file from "My Computer", or from an
email, it would automatically open in Excel. But now when I do that, Excel
opens but doesn't open the file. I just get a big gray area where the file
is supposed to be. The ONLY way that I can open any .xls file is to open
Excel first and then open the file from there, which is a pain if it is in an
email because I have to save the file first to my computer, open Excel, and
then open the file. It was much easier the other way.

I have checked the "hook up" and it is set to automatically open any .xls
file in Excel. I have even run the "excel /regserver" that was suggested in
another post, but to no avail. Is there any way to fix this so that I don't
have to go through 3 extra steps to get my files open? Why would IE7.0 have
screwed this up so bad???

BTW.......this is Office 2003. Can't afford to buy the new 2007 and not
sure I would like it anyhow since I have seen it and wasn't impressed with
the user interface, especially on Word.
 
Hi NancyR,
Usually when I would click on a .xls file from "My Computer", or from an
email, it would automatically open in Excel. But now when I do that, Excel
opens but doesn't open the file. I just get a big gray area where the file
is supposed to be. The ONLY way that I can open any .xls file is to open
Excel first and then open the file from there, which is a pain if it is in an
email because I have to save the file first to my computer, open Excel, and
then open the file. It was much easier the other way.

I have checked the "hook up" and it is set to automatically open any .xls
file in Excel. I have even run the "excel /regserver" that was suggested in
another post, but to no avail.
Click to expand...

First run excel.exe /unregserver
then repeat with /regserver

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
http://www.jkp-ads.com
Member of:
Professional Office Developer Association
www.proofficedev.com
 
Nope didn't work either. In fact, now I'm getting an error that I never got
before. "System cannot find file specified." This never appeared before now
after I did what you said.

When I do the /unregserver part, it seems as though nothing happens. Just a
couple seconds of the hourglass. But when I do the /regserver, I actually
get a Windows Installer screen. Is that right?

What I am doing on Start - Run is:

excel.exe /unregserver (again, nothing seems to happen here)
then
excel.exe /regserver (I get the Windows Installer screen)

Should I just be doing /regserver without the excel part in front of it?

I even rebooted to see if that would help, but nothing. Problem is still
the same, but now with the addition of the error message (which concerns me
now).
 
Hi NancyR,
excel.exe /unregserver (again, nothing seems to happen here)
then
excel.exe /regserver (I get the Windows Installer screen)

Should I just be doing /regserver without the excel part in front of it?
Click to expand...

Please check out the text below. Might be good to try the "Do it yourself"
part:

How to reinstate Excel's ability to open files with spaces
in their name/path by double clicking:

1. Have Excel correct it

1. Choose start (Start button), Run, type:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\EXCEL.EXE" /Regserver
2. Click OK

2. Do it yourself

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Choose from its menu: View, Options. (or View / Folder Options in
Windows 98 and up)
3. Select the File Types tab
4. Scroll to Microsoft Excel Worksheet types, start with .xls
5. Click Advanced
6. Select the OPEN entry (it should be highlighted (bolded)
7. Click Edit and check that the fields are set as follows:
a) Action should be: &Open
b) Application used: should be EXCEL.EXE, loaded from the correct
directory
c) Use DDE should be checked
d) The DDE message should be (exactly): [Open("%1")]
e) Application should be: excel
f) DDE Application not running should be empty
g) Topic should be: system
8. Click OK
9. Click Close
10. If you wish to double-click other Excel file types, e.g. template
(xlt) or workspace (xlw), select the appropriate type in the File Types
tab and repeat from step (5)

For the XLVIEWER:

- Use DDE turned OFF
- Command line: "c:\program files\xlview\xlview.exe" "%1"


Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
http://www.jkp-ads.com
Member of:
Professional Office Developer Association
www.proofficedev.com
 
Jan........Didn't work. But here are some things that I came across.

1. It is listing Office 2007 file types as well as my 2003 files. I KNOW
that I didn't put 2007 files on there because I don't own it, nor did I
download it. Could they have come from some automatic update? I'm totally
confused as to how they got there.
2. I went through everything that was listed as Excel files and checked
them. There were some that only had Open in the first field instead of &Open
and I changed them, but now I'm getting a TON of error messages telling me
that the file type cannot be found when I try to open a file directly (not
open excel first). In fact, one of the files from an email that I saved to
the computer won't even open at all now, not even when I open Excel first,
although those that I created myself with the 2003 seem to be OK.
Unfortunately I didn't write down which ones that I changed so I can't go
back and undo it unless I do a complete restore from my backup. My Windows
System Restore doesn't work properly either, although I don't know when that
happened because I use Norton Ghost instead.
3. The following file types have NOTHING in the action area at all, not even
an "Open": Microsoft Excel 5.0 Dialog Sheet, XLSMHTML File, Microsoft Excel
VBA Module, Microsoft Excel XML Worksheet. I didn't make any changes here or
add anything.
4. On XML Document, there is no DDE message and the Application is MSOXMLED.
I did NOT make any changes in this item.
5. Also, on each of the Application used areas, after the file path there is
a /e %1 after the last quote of the filepath. Is this correct?
6. I have NO XLVIEWER listed at all in the listings.

Again........How could IE7.0 have screwed this up SO bad?????? Everything
was working fine until I downloaded it and nothing has been the same since.
I am to the point that I wish I had left it alone because I now fear that
things are really screwed up to the point that I'll never be able to open
another Excel file that has been emailed to me! I am extremely frustrated
and annoyed.
 
Jan........Actually I remembered what I changed and went back and put it all
back. Seems to be OK now as all the extra error messages have gone away and
I'm now able to open the one that I had saved to the computer.

Original problem still exists and I'm still not sure why the 2007 is there
(under a weird filepath that I can even find in "My Computer". An example is:

"C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE" /e

Nancy
 
Hi NancyR,
Jan........Actually I remembered what I changed and went back and put it all
back. Seems to be OK now as all the extra error messages have gone away and
I'm now able to open the one that I had saved to the computer.
Click to expand...

Would you be willing to share what did the trick or caused the havoc?

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
http://www.jkp-ads.com
Member of:
Professional Office Developer Association
www.proofficedev.com
 
Jan.......It has done all kinds of weird things. But here is a summary. All
are done from Windows Explorer - Tools (not view as was originally stated in
your message) - Folder Options - File Types

1. Originally I checked all Excel mentioned file types and made the
following changes:
a. Files ending in .SLK, .CSV, and .DIF only had Open in the first box. I
added the & sign to the beginning of each and saved.
b. Files ending in .XLSB, .XLSM, and .XLSX were the ones that were stated as
2007 files and had the strange filepath as stated in the above message.
These also only had the Open in the first box and I added the &, plus there
was no DDE message at all in that box and I added what was stated in your
message exactly as written.
2. After doing all of that is when I started getting all the error messages
telling me that all kinds of files ending in .xls were unable to be found.
There were about 6 different ones that kept coming up for each file I tried
to open.
3. I went back in and changed everything back and was then able to open the
files as long as I had Excel already opened.

NOTE: Although I went back and undid ALL the changes that I made, only the
ones in 1a actually "took". In other words the revert that I did for the
changes in 1a is still OK, the revert that I did for the 2007 ones actually
reverted back to the changes that I made in 1b. Does that make sense? No
matter that I clicked OK on both screens before closing the changes on the
XLSB, XLSM, and XLSX files refused to be changed back to the original format,
even though they easily changed the first time I did it. It's almost as
though something is forcing them to stay the way that they are now (the
second way, not the original). The changes that I made on the SLK, CSV, and
DIF files DID make the revert, but that seems to have been the ones causing
the big problems. Hopefully this makes sense as I don't know how else to
explain it.

ALSO NOTE: The original problem still has NOT been solved. I still can't
open files directly without opening Excel first, but at least I'm not getting
a ton of error messages when I do try to open something.
 
Hi NancyR,
ALSO NOTE: The original problem still has NOT been solved. I still can't
open files directly without opening Excel first, but at least I'm not getting
a ton of error messages when I do try to open something.
Click to expand...

As a last resort you could try to first run the unregserver, then do a detect
and repair from Office setup.

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
http://www.jkp-ads.com
Member of:
Professional Office Developer Association
www.proofficedev.com
 
Jan Karel Pieterse said:
Hi NancyR,


As a last resort you could try to first run the unregserver, then do a detect
and repair from Office setup.

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
http://www.jkp-ads.com
Member of:
Professional Office Developer Association
www.proofficedev.com
Click to expand...
Nancy/Jan I am having the exact same problems. One day everythink is
fine.. the next I can't double click an excel file open. I have
tried/followed this post and have had the same additional problems described.
Appeared that excel was trying to open a file with more than one word and
spaces in the name as individual/separate file names. I have repaired excel
but am back to original problem - no double click open. Let's get some help
on this one folks. It is not an isolated event.
 
FOUND THE FIX!!!

It was from a Dec 3, 2005 post and answered my Mr. Ken Wright.

open Excel, go to Tools, Options, General tab, untick the "Ignore other
applications" box in Settings. no idea why but everything works great now.
 
Sorry, but that didn't work for me. I'm back to getting THREE error messages
whenever I try to open a file with .xls in it. Keeps telling me that three
different files cannot be found.

I am truly exasperated with Office right now. I have been having enormous
problems with Outlook and Word this morning........locks up every time I want
to do something. I can't even get it to open a link in an email with it
locking up!! I can understand why my software engineer daughter likes Linux
instead!!
 
Thanks for the info.........but can you please run me through this? I'm not
stupid, I'm just frustrated to the point that I'm afraid to do anything that
will make things worse. Do I need the disc for this? The reason that I ask
is because my "disc" has run out of reload options. I had this computer
crash twice and had to reload Office from the original disc sent to me by
Dell, plus I got a new laptop and tried to install it on there because I
wanted them to match and NOT be Office 2007 because I go back and forth
between them when I am travelling. Now I am getting an error on my laptop
that says that I have maxed out my registrations on the disc (only three
times on the SAME computer because of crashes??????) and that it will quit
functioning after 50 uses. So I do NOT want to try and put it back on this
computer because I don't want to be forced to buy the program just because my
computer crashed a couple of times!!! NOT a happy camper at all with MS and
Office!! I have been battling with Outlook and Office all day today as it
just won't do anything at all, but that's another topic.
 
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