Odd error opening Excel files when double clicking

[Auntie]

I have both Excel 2k and XP on this machine. After I did the latest "update"
from MS, I started getting odd errors when I double clicked on Excel files
to open them. If the file name is, for instance "big bird.xls", I get an
error message that says it cannot open the file "big.xls, etc. and then I
get a message that says it can't open the file "bird.xls", etc. Then it
opens the file and all is well.

If I open Excel first, there is no problem opening files.

Before I uninstall both 2k and XP, does anyone have any ideas on how to fix
this error? Thanks.

 

[Dave Peterson]

Sometimes one of these works:

Tools|Options|General|Ignore other applications (uncheck it)

--- or ---

Close Excel and
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /unregserver
then
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /regserver

The /unregserver & /regserver stuff resets the windows registry to excel's
factory defaults.

 

[Auntie]

Hi Dave, Thanks for your help.

The unregserver and regiserver commands worked, but did not do what I wanted
them to do. They reset Excel to automatically open in XP rather than 2K when
I double click the file. The Tools|Options|General|Ignore other applications
(uncheck it) was already unchecked.

I share a lot of Excel files, and I want to make sure that others can use
all the functions I put in the files, so I work in 2K, but I want XP
available also.

I did go into the tools|folder options|file types and tried to reset back to
Excel 2K, but then I get the same old error messages.

 

[Dave Peterson]

Maybe you can run those against the xl2k version that you have. Find out the
folder that contains that excel.exe for xl2k.

then...
excel /unregserver
would become:
"x:\folder1\folder2\folder3\excel.exe" /unregserver

Then same thing with /regserver

Double quotes required if the path has spaces in it--but they won't hurt in any
case.


I don't run multiple versions of excel, but I think I've read posts that say the
last registered version will be the one that is used by windows when you double
click on it in windows explorer.

 

[Auntie]

Thanks, Dave, you are a true sweetie! It worked like a charm.

I think I better save this thread because I will probably need it again the
next time I do an Office update. The only reason I use multiple versions of
Excel and also Access is because I design and share files with 200 little
ol' ladies who often have ancient versions of Office and I need to be
compatible with them no matter what versions they are using. I'm the db
manager for a CA volunteer organization with chapters all over the state.
You would be amazed at what these ladies can accomplish, many with virtually
no computer experience at all!

The only thing I won't do is go back to Access 95 because it had a nasty
flaw that almost made me lose a 100,000 record db. :-(

Auntie

 

[Dave Peterson]

Glad you got it working.

Thanks, Dave, you are a true sweetie! It worked like a charm.

I think I better save this thread because I will probably need it again the
next time I do an Office update. The only reason I use multiple versions of
Excel and also Access is because I design and share files with 200 little
ol' ladies who often have ancient versions of Office and I need to be
compatible with them no matter what versions they are using. I'm the db
manager for a CA volunteer organization with chapters all over the state.
You would be amazed at what these ladies can accomplish, many with virtually
no computer experience at all!

The only thing I won't do is go back to Access 95 because it had a nasty
flaw that almost made me lose a 100,000 record db. :-(

Auntie