Excel cannot open files

**+Daemon+** · February 6th, 2002, 10:51 AM

OK here I go...

I need to open a .xls file which is on my desktop, not a shortcut but the file. I double click it and excel opens then gives me a error.

File <filename> was not found!

I even tryed opening another excel file on the hard drive and even over the network samething. I can open excel then click file>open and this will open any excel file but I cannot double click the file.

Ive tryed reinstalling over office. This is running Windows 2000 Pro

**+Daemon+** · February 6th, 2002, 12:12 PM

oh! I fixed it..
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SYMPTOMS
When you double-click a Microsoft Excel workbook (.xls file) in Windows Explorer, Excel does not open the file.

You may receive the following error message:

Cannot find the file 'path' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available.

Excel may actually open, but the file will not open. If Excel is already running, a second instance of Excel may start.

CAUSE
This problem may occur if either of the following conditions are true:

The Ignore Other Applications setting in Microsoft Excel 97 is selected.

-or-

You previously used the Get External Data command on the Data menu to retrieve data from an external database.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, use the following appropriate method.

Method 1
In Microsoft Excel 97, on the Tools menu, click Options. Click the General tab. Clear the Ignore Other Applications checkbox, and click OK.

After you do this, you should be able to open workbooks by double-clicking them in the Windows Explorer.

Method 2
If you clicked Get External Data to retrieve data from an external database, you can open a workbook by doing either of the following:

On the File menu, click Open. In the Open dialog box, select the file you want to open, and then click Open.

-or-

Quit and restart Microsoft Excel 97. After you restart the program, you can open a workbook by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.

STATUS
The first symptom, where double-clicking a workbook fails when the Ignore Other Applications setting is selected, is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

The second symptom, where double-clicking a workbook fails after you use the Get External Data command, has been confirmed by Microsoft to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article