Excel 2003 "file error: data may have been lost" after applying SP3

[joshbilsky]

We're having an issue with exporting data from Infomaker 9 to Excel
format. We did not encounter this issue until we recently applied
Service Pack 3 for Office 2003. Infomaker 9 allows us to export to
"Excel 5 with headers" or "Excel with headers". When we export to
Excel 5 with headers, the user will get the error message, "file
error: data may have been lost" when opening the file with Excel
2003. The user will have to click OK one time and the file does
open. When we export the file as Excel with headers (which we think
is Excel 2.0 format), we do not get the error message when opening the
file.

To verify the issue wasn't with the file itself, I attempted the Excel
5 exported file on a machine that had Office 2003 with SP2 installed,
not SP3. The file opened normally without issue. So, there is
something with applying SP3 that causes the issue to occur. Opening
the affected file and resaving it, even to its current Excel 5 format,
results in the message no longer being presented.

Again, we had no issues with exporting from Infomaker 9 to Excel 5
with headers until we installed SP3. Here is a link to somebody who
seems to have a similar issue with documents exported from Microsoft
Dynamics: http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1412842&page=10

If there is no fix, is there any type of workaround for the issue
besides completely removing Office and reinstalling it with SP2? From
what I could see, SP3 cannot be removed once it is installed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Toby Fruth]

Either Microsoft or Sybase will find and fix the issue, or you will have
to uninstall Office and reinstall up to SP2.

 

[news.microsoft.com]

I , too, have this same error - spreadsheets that open without issue in
Excel 2003 SP2 report "File error: Data may have been lost" when opened with
Excel 2003 SP3 or 2007.

Does anyone know what additional checking SP3 does when opening a
spreadsheet that allows it to find an error that previously went unnoticed?

Thanks,

Angus.