# Now I Cannot Open any XL File!!



## monirg (May 15, 2019)

Dear Sir / Madam;




I had my Laptop on service at STAPLES from Oct 2018 to Mar 2019 to “*Update the Network Driver*”

Staples did an extremely bad job, andnow I cannot open any of my files (XL files or any of my User Forms).
I asked Staples to install MS Office2010 (the ONLY CD I could find.  I’m 100%sure the laptop had a more recent version of MS Office, but I couldn’t locate it).[I remember *SOLVER* was a “_REFERANCE_” not an “_ADD IN_”as in Office 2010]


I have no intention to call STAPLES anymore after they had made this mess!
Now when I try to open any of my XLfiles or user forms, I get the message:“*Excelcannot open the file … *_V08 *… .xlsm, *_[2,606 KB]*becausethe file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and the file extensionmatches the format of the file.*”


After checking the location of thefile and changing the file extension to .*xls*,I got the same above message (Item 5 above)


_Toshiba_’s tech advised the other day: “_Try to open the file using “*Updated*” not “*Upgraded*” version of MS Office_”.
I tried _MS Office 2013_, and I got the same message!Please lift me from this misery (years of internal research work!).

Do you have any suggestion??

Thank you for your help.

 
Monir


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## RoryA (May 15, 2019)

Can you put one of the workbooks somewhere (Dropbox, or Onedrive for example) for us to have a look at?


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## monirg (May 15, 2019)

Hi Rory;

How to attach a workbook to my reply??

Thanks

Monir


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## Michael M (May 15, 2019)

As @RoryA stated upload the file to Dropbox or similar and then post a link to that file back here !!
It does sound like the version of office may have been installed incorrectly.
You could also save the files to a USB and then open them on another PC......you would also have a backup wouldn't you ???


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## monirg (May 15, 2019)

Hi Michael;

Thank you for your reply.


 I don’thave Dropbox.  I don’t even know what itis.

 Is therea simpler way for attaching a workbook to a post in Mr. Excel?

 The fullsystem backup was done in Sep 2018; a month before I took the laptop toSTAPLES.
They assessed it to be useless!!!

Thankyou.
Monir


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## Michael M (May 16, 2019)

Where is the backup stored...HDD, external HDD, server ??
Here is the link to dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com

you cannot attach files to this forum for security reasons!!
you could also look at this page for other options.

https://www.mrexcel.com/forum/about-board/508133-attachments.html


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## monirg (May 16, 2019)

Hi Michael;

I'm reviewing the 2 links you kindly provided.

Thanks.
Monir

P.S. : I think the easiest way maybe if I know your email address!


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## Michael M (May 16, 2019)

That won't happen !!!



> P.S. : I think the easiest way maybe if I know your email address!


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## monirg (May 16, 2019)

Hello Michael;

Few years ago, I did provide my *email address* at Mr. Excel Forum via "_*Private Message*_".
Maybe things are different nowadays!

Monir


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## Michael M (May 17, 2019)

Sadly, the modern age says....trust no one !!


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## monirg (May 15, 2019)

Dear Sir / Madam;




I had my Laptop on service at STAPLES from Oct 2018 to Mar 2019 to “*Update the Network Driver*”

Staples did an extremely bad job, andnow I cannot open any of my files (XL files or any of my User Forms).
I asked Staples to install MS Office2010 (the ONLY CD I could find.  I’m 100%sure the laptop had a more recent version of MS Office, but I couldn’t locate it).[I remember *SOLVER* was a “_REFERANCE_” not an “_ADD IN_”as in Office 2010]


I have no intention to call STAPLES anymore after they had made this mess!
Now when I try to open any of my XLfiles or user forms, I get the message:“*Excelcannot open the file … *_V08 *… .xlsm, *_[2,606 KB]*becausethe file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and the file extensionmatches the format of the file.*”


After checking the location of thefile and changing the file extension to .*xls*,I got the same above message (Item 5 above)


_Toshiba_’s tech advised the other day: “_Try to open the file using “*Updated*” not “*Upgraded*” version of MS Office_”.
I tried _MS Office 2013_, and I got the same message!Please lift me from this misery (years of internal research work!).

Do you have any suggestion??

Thank you for your help.

 
Monir


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## monirg (May 17, 2019)

Hi;

I forgot to mention in my *OP* that *ALL* files, user forms, programs,etc., were working perfectly before I took the laptop to STAPLES to update the wired Internet connection driver.

I’m not sure if the above would shed more light on the problem I’m having now.

Thanks.

Monir


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## Michael M (May 17, 2019)

Not really.....except that it appears someone has completely screwed you laptop !!!


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## monirg (May 18, 2019)

Hi;

OK.  I agree that someone screwed up my laptop.
But what do I do now?

I expect (from my past experience) that the XL Experts in this Forum would tell me (even guessing) what to do.
For example: Go to *Control Panel* / *Settings* and try this, or *Update* the MS Office from 2010, or *Upgrade *Office, or ……. 
(As I mentioned earlier, I tried the updated Office 2013, and it didn’t work.  Same error message as I mentioned in the *OP*)

I’m not allowed to attach an sample XL file to my *OP*, and the alternatives are not that simple.

Thanks.

Monir


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## Michael M (May 18, 2019)

> I expect (from my past experience) that the XL Experts in this Forum would tell me (even guessing) what to do.


Unfortunately, this is above and beyond Excel....it could simply be a software problem not related to Excel !!

I still believe you MUST return to the repairer and demand they take action to rectify the issue.


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## monirg (May 20, 2019)

Hi;

*A)*   I’m 100% sure the “*repairer*” would not be able to open my XL files (or any file for that matter).
I think they tried after the “*Update*”they performed!!

*B)*   Remember, they’ve created this problem in the first place by damaging / corrupting my XL files in the process of “*Updating **the Network Driver*” (for the wired Internet connection).   My laptop is now a useless piece of electronics!

*C)*   I have no intention whatsoever of contacting “*Staples*”again (As I mentioned in the *OP*).
I’ve recently told them: “_They should not be in the computer business_.”

*D)*   By the way, their technicians “_know more about computers than MS experts_”.  That’s what they told me the other day.


Regards.

Monir


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## RoryA (May 21, 2019)

If you provide us with a link to a file, we can at least tell you whether the file itself has a problem, or whether it's an issue with your computer.


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## monirg (May 21, 2019)

Hi *RoryA*;

Thank you for your interest.


 Pleaserefer to my reply (Post # *11 *above)
Can you please tell me (in simple English) how to link a file, since I’m not allowed to post attachments in this Forum?

Thanks.

Monir


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## RoryA (May 21, 2019)

Post 11 is not relevant to my question. As to posting a file, you've already had a suggestion to sign up to dropbox. You can get a free account there, upload a file, and then create a sharing link (everything is covered in the Dropbox help system) that you can post here.


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## RoryA (May 22, 2019)

Were the files you shared with Michael password protected? The binary info looks completely garbled, so I assume that either they were password protected, or they were copied from an encrypted drive.


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## monirg (May 22, 2019)

Hi *Rory*;

I don’t think the files, particularly the _User Forms_, you received from Michael, were password protected.

It’s hard to know since I cannot open them!

If they were, try the password *4992*.

Thank you.

*Monir*


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## monirg (May 15, 2019)

Dear Sir / Madam;




I had my Laptop on service at STAPLES from Oct 2018 to Mar 2019 to “*Update the Network Driver*”

Staples did an extremely bad job, andnow I cannot open any of my files (XL files or any of my User Forms).
I asked Staples to install MS Office2010 (the ONLY CD I could find.  I’m 100%sure the laptop had a more recent version of MS Office, but I couldn’t locate it).[I remember *SOLVER* was a “_REFERANCE_” not an “_ADD IN_”as in Office 2010]


I have no intention to call STAPLES anymore after they had made this mess!
Now when I try to open any of my XLfiles or user forms, I get the message:“*Excelcannot open the file … *_V08 *… .xlsm, *_[2,606 KB]*becausethe file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and the file extensionmatches the format of the file.*”


After checking the location of thefile and changing the file extension to .*xls*,I got the same above message (Item 5 above)


_Toshiba_’s tech advised the other day: “_Try to open the file using “*Updated*” not “*Upgraded*” version of MS Office_”.
I tried _MS Office 2013_, and I got the same message!Please lift me from this misery (years of internal research work!).

Do you have any suggestion??

Thank you for your help.

 
Monir


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## RoryA (May 22, 2019)

If they weren't, then I'd have to assume that either the source drive was encrypted and not unlocked when the files were copied, or they have been severely corrupted because they bear no resemblance to an Excel workbook.


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## monirg (May 22, 2019)

Hi *Rory*;

Thanks for your reply.

Please keep in mind that _*ALL *_workbooks were working perfectly the day before I took the laptop to _Staples_ to “*Update the Network Driver*”.
What their “_license technicians_” did is a mystery, and I have no intention of further contacting them!

Clearly, you and *Michael* are now my last hope to be able to open the files.

Thank you, and hopefully you would succeed.

_*Monir*_


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## RoryA (May 22, 2019)

I'm afraid there's nothing I can do with those. It's not an Excel problem, it's an issue with the files themselves. Updating a network driver would not have done that. Is it only Excel workbooks that you have an issue with? Do other Office documents work?


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## monirg (May 22, 2019)

Hi *Rory*; 

Thank you for your help. I’m sure you and _Michael_ wouldbe able to solve this predicament I’m in!


I don’t know what I’ve done recently, but now I can open (previous) files with   extension: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.pdf.
But I still *CANNOT* open (as we speak) any (previous) *.xls and *.xlsm files, which vary (now and as we speak) in size from 6,584 KB to 54 KB.
Is that a reasonable size of a _User Form_or an XL w/b?
I can open (now) a *NEW* XL w/b using *Office 2010* by clicking the relevant shortcut.
I remember *SOLVER* being a *Reference* and not *Add-Ins*.
I’m not sure if this has any impact, but at least it might identify the Office version I had running on the system before the debacle by _*STAPLES*_.

 
Kind regards.


Monir


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## RoryA (May 22, 2019)

Again, the version of Office is irrelevant. It is the the files themselves that are the problem. They are either corrupted or encrypted. Are all your documents on the same drive?


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## monirg (May 22, 2019)

Hi *Rory*; 

Yes. ALL files on the same drive.

Kind regards.

_*Monir*_


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## RoryA (May 22, 2019)

I don't know what to tell you then, I'm afraid. It is not an Excel problem.


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## monirg (May 22, 2019)

Hi *Rory*;

Thank you for your time and effort.

*Monir*


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