Corrupt file error

[Ray Manning]

I am trying to open a file for work in Excel 2007. It gives me the following
error: "Excel cannot open the file '(filename)'.xlsx' because the file
format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been
corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file."

I've tried the "Open and Repair" option of Excel, but to no avail. I tried
copying it to a flash drive and external hard drives, with no luck. I tried
two different computers...nothing! I even went so far as to make a duplicate
of the file, but nothing works.

I have a basic knowledge of how to use Excel, but know nothing of Visual
Basic programming and macros. Can someone please help me out?

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

I believe I saw that error when I saved a file programmatically using the
wrong syntax. Might that be the problem?

 

[Kueck]

I receive this error message routinely (i.e. several times per week) always
on different files. Nearly 100% of the time, it's a file I opened, perhaps
created, successfully, earlier. These are .xls files - I have the Excel
options set to save as 97-2003 files (by the way, that option doesn't work
for me in Word, but that's another post). If I have someone else on the
network attempt to open the same files, they can do so successfully, and then
I'm able to open them. Today I tried a different tactic - I went to another
PC on the network, logged in as me, opened and closed the 3 files without
problem, returned to my regular PC, and still was not able to open the files.
So I had another user on the network open the three files, close them (not
even necessary to save them again) and voila, I'm now able to open them on my
"home" PC. This is more than annoying - it's a real time waster - Any ideas?

 

[Jean]

Please help! I am having the same problem. I use Excel 2007. Periodically,
I lose a file because of this same error. I try to change it to a .txt file,
but it won't import because it is blank. I try to open in Excel 2003, but
it's the same error. I now lost 4 very important spreadsheets because of
this.

 

[Jean]

I made a copy of the spreadsheet and decided to open the copy. It is all
little boxes throughout the entire spreadsheet. I have been saving the
spreadsheet as an .xls not .xlsx. I have tried to use the .xlsx version, but
I had the same problem. I even tried to open it in "OpenOffice.org" and got
the same result. There is nothing special in any of these 4
spreadsheets...just basic formulas...no charts or macros. I have been using
these spreadsheets for many, many years. This problem has been happening
only since I upgraded to Office 2007. It's getting SO frustrating recreating
these same 4 spreadsheets that are extremely important. Doesn't anyone have
any suggestions? I am using Vista Business.