G
Guest
Everytime I try to open a certain file in Excel I get this message "Microsoft Excel for Windows has encountered a problem
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D
Dave Peterson
Can you open the file in safe mode?
close excel
windows start button
excel /safe
File|open...
If yes, then maybe it's not this file. Sometimes xl's toolbar file gets
corrupted and causes problems with starting up excel.
Search for *.xlb and rename them all to *.xlbOLD.
try it out. If it didn't help, rename them back to *.xlb.
(If it did, then recreate any customizations later and be happy!)
=====
If it is the workbook, it sounds like it might be corrupted.
You might be able to recover more by using another program--both xl2002 and
OpenOffice have better reputations for opening files that earlier versions of
excel couldn't.
(http://www.openoffice.org, a 60-65 meg download or a CD)
If the file is really important, there are commercial recovery services. I've
never used it, but you might want to check into:
http://www.officerecovery.com
close excel
windows start button
excel /safe
File|open...
If yes, then maybe it's not this file. Sometimes xl's toolbar file gets
corrupted and causes problems with starting up excel.
Search for *.xlb and rename them all to *.xlbOLD.
try it out. If it didn't help, rename them back to *.xlb.
(If it did, then recreate any customizations later and be happy!)
=====
If it is the workbook, it sounds like it might be corrupted.
You might be able to recover more by using another program--both xl2002 and
OpenOffice have better reputations for opening files that earlier versions of
excel couldn't.
(http://www.openoffice.org, a 60-65 meg download or a CD)
If the file is really important, there are commercial recovery services. I've
never used it, but you might want to check into:
http://www.officerecovery.com
J
Jack Sons
Dave,
I often read posts about lost toolbars and the search for *.xlb. I often
searched my whole C partition for *.xlb but never found it. The search
always results in "nothing found". How is that possible? I use XP and XL2k
Jack Sons
The Netherlands
I often read posts about lost toolbars and the search for *.xlb. I often
searched my whole C partition for *.xlb but never found it. The search
always results in "nothing found". How is that possible? I use XP and XL2k
Jack Sons
The Netherlands
G
Gord Dibben
Jack
Make sure your search parameters include "hidden files and folders".
Also you can open My Computer and Tools>Folder Options>View>Files and Folders
and set options to show all files and known extensions.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
Make sure your search parameters include "hidden files and folders".
Also you can open My Computer and Tools>Folder Options>View>Files and Folders
and set options to show all files and known extensions.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
Dave,
I often read posts about lost toolbars and the search for *.xlb. I often
searched my whole C partition for *.xlb but never found it. The search
always results in "nothing found". How is that possible? I use XP and XL2k
Jack Sons
The Netherlands
D
Dave Peterson
I still use win98, so I'm not sure if this old DOS command will still work:
dir c:\*.xlb /s
dir c:\*.xlb /s
Gord said:Jack
Make sure your search parameters include "hidden files and folders".
Also you can open My Computer and Tools>Folder Options>View>Files and Folders
and set options to show all files and known extensions.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
G
Gord Dibben
Dave
In Win XP you would go to Start>Run "cmd"(no quotes)>OK to get a DOS box.
Then type in the dir c:\*.xlb /s
The /s is necessary if files are set to "hidden" in Folder Options>View.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
In Win XP you would go to Start>Run "cmd"(no quotes)>OK to get a DOS box.
Then type in the dir c:\*.xlb /s
The /s is necessary if files are set to "hidden" in Folder Options>View.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
D
Dave Peterson
Doesn't that /s mean search subdirectories, too?
There's a /A parm where you can specify more stuff. (/a for attributes)
dir /?
shows a short help in win98.
There's a /A parm where you can specify more stuff. (/a for attributes)
dir /?
shows a short help in win98.
G
Gord Dibben
Yes it does.
My mistook.
Set files to "hidden". Type in full path to to the folder with *.xlb and get
a valid return.
Time to resurrect the old single floppy 3.0 DOS-based Tandy 1000EX from 1987
and re-visit the DOS commands.
Gord
My mistook.
Set files to "hidden". Type in full path to to the folder with *.xlb and get
a valid return.
Time to resurrect the old single floppy 3.0 DOS-based Tandy 1000EX from 1987
and re-visit the DOS commands.
Gord
J
Jack Sons
Gord,
Before I seached in "all files and folders" and thought that it included
hidden files. Now I found the hidden-possibility and yes, I got Excel.xlb.
What will happen when I double click on it? I don't dare to do that without
your advice.
As I understand Excel.xlb contains my toolbars as they are now. Really with
all my custom made buttons and with the macros assigned to them?
How can I make a duplicate for use when misfortune will cause my valued
toolbars to disappear? What could be the name of the copy, where should I
save it and how should I use it when the (bad) time comes?
Jack.
Before I seached in "all files and folders" and thought that it included
hidden files. Now I found the hidden-possibility and yes, I got Excel.xlb.
What will happen when I double click on it? I don't dare to do that without
your advice.
As I understand Excel.xlb contains my toolbars as they are now. Really with
all my custom made buttons and with the macros assigned to them?
How can I make a duplicate for use when misfortune will cause my valued
toolbars to disappear? What could be the name of the copy, where should I
save it and how should I use it when the (bad) time comes?
Jack.
Gord Dibben said:Jack
Make sure your search parameters include "hidden files and folders".
Also you can open My Computer and Tools>Folder Options>View>Files and Folders
and set options to show all files and known extensions.
Gord Dibben Excel MVP
D
Dave Peterson
And I bet that pc cost $1,500-3,000. Times have sure changed.
D
Dave Peterson
My suggestion was to rename it (them???) to *.xlbOLD to see if avoiding loading
them cleared up a problem.
If it did clear up the loading of excel problem, then delete it and recreate the
toolbar customizations manually.
If it didn't help, then rename the *.xlbOLD back to *.xlb and no harm will have
been done.
====
But if you double click it, then windows should see it as a file associated with
excel and start excel. It shouldn't hurt anything. But that wasn't the
suggestion.
When you searched for you *.xlb, you may have found multiple files in multiple
folders. Excel is using only one of them.
For me, it's the one in my XLStart folder.
(C:\windows\application data\microsoft\excel\excel.xlb)
The path and name may change with versions of windows and excel.
One way to find the "real" one is to open excel
(in safe mode if you can't open it any other way)
and then go to the VBE (Alt-F11)
hit ctrl-G to see the immediate window and type this:
?application.StartupPath
and hit enter.
I get this back.
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART
==
Starting excel in safe mode:
windows start button|Run
excel /safe
Safe mode stops excel from loading lots of stuff--addins/toolbars.
==
Once you've found the real one, take a look at the filesize. If it's too large,
that's a sign of possible bad things to come (if there not here already!). (I
hit around 450k in xl97!) I did some print screens and took notes and deleted
it. Then I started recreating it based on those notes/print screens.
I added a few things, deleted a few things and it went to around 12k.
So now I keep a copy (just use windows explorer) of that *.xlb in a few spots.
I have it in a folder that I backup. I have it on a thumbdrive (those little
usb memory drives).
In fact, I can use this toolbar at work, too. So I keep a live copy at work as
well as a backup on that pc.
Whenever I feel like it (or notice it), I just copy that backup copy into my
XLStart to set it back to normal.
In fact, if I want to customize my toolbar, I'll copy it first (to get rid of
any bloat) and then make the change and then make backups.
them cleared up a problem.
If it did clear up the loading of excel problem, then delete it and recreate the
toolbar customizations manually.
If it didn't help, then rename the *.xlbOLD back to *.xlb and no harm will have
been done.
====
But if you double click it, then windows should see it as a file associated with
excel and start excel. It shouldn't hurt anything. But that wasn't the
suggestion.
When you searched for you *.xlb, you may have found multiple files in multiple
folders. Excel is using only one of them.
For me, it's the one in my XLStart folder.
(C:\windows\application data\microsoft\excel\excel.xlb)
The path and name may change with versions of windows and excel.
One way to find the "real" one is to open excel
(in safe mode if you can't open it any other way)
and then go to the VBE (Alt-F11)
hit ctrl-G to see the immediate window and type this:
?application.StartupPath
and hit enter.
I get this back.
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART
==
Starting excel in safe mode:
windows start button|Run
excel /safe
Safe mode stops excel from loading lots of stuff--addins/toolbars.
==
Once you've found the real one, take a look at the filesize. If it's too large,
that's a sign of possible bad things to come (if there not here already!). (I
hit around 450k in xl97!) I did some print screens and took notes and deleted
it. Then I started recreating it based on those notes/print screens.
I added a few things, deleted a few things and it went to around 12k.
So now I keep a copy (just use windows explorer) of that *.xlb in a few spots.
I have it in a folder that I backup. I have it on a thumbdrive (those little
usb memory drives).
In fact, I can use this toolbar at work, too. So I keep a live copy at work as
well as a backup on that pc.
Whenever I feel like it (or notice it), I just copy that backup copy into my
XLStart to set it back to normal.
In fact, if I want to customize my toolbar, I'll copy it first (to get rid of
any bloat) and then make the change and then make backups.
G
Gord Dibben
The $3000 is closest figure.
Followed up by about $250 for an external floppy drive.
Hewitt-Rand 80286 in 1989 was $5200 but did include a 40meg hard drive and a
DM printer.
Enough of this reminiscing. I'll be on gas prices in 1958 next if I don't
stop.
Gord
Followed up by about $250 for an external floppy drive.
Hewitt-Rand 80286 in 1989 was $5200 but did include a 40meg hard drive and a
DM printer.
Enough of this reminiscing. I'll be on gas prices in 1958 next if I don't
stop.
Gord