Excel file only opens if another file is opened first!?

[sam.thackeray]

Hi,
I have been given a very strange excel issue that has me stumped

I have been sent a file that will not open unless another excel file is opened first. Excel opens but the file does not.

I have checked that ignore other applications that use DDE is off

Honestly i have just joined this company so am unsure on their office setup and my windows 7 / office 2010 knowledge is somewhat limited but i have scrounged together the following information on how my system opens the file.

Command Line ...........EXCEL.EXE" /dde
DDE Message [open("%1")]

I have tried removing dde, i have tried moving the "%1" into the command line without any change.

To make things more confusing if you do open a different file and then open this file you can close the file and for the next couple of attempts it will work normally only to stop working a bit later.

Opening a blank excel and then opening the file via the open menu doesn't help and neither does resaving the file into a different format (it was originally xlsx but being xls makes no difference)

Any ideas good people of the internets?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Firefly2012]

Hi Sam

Are you sure the file definitely doesn't open if opened from File>Open? If you do this (and apparently don't have the file open), if you then go View ribbon>Arrange All>Ok does it now appear or not?

 

[sam.thackeray]

Thanks for the quick reply, this does in fact work. Why is this?
Sam

 

[sam.thackeray]

When i say it works i mean the view > arrange all technique works not opening excel and then opening the file.

Next question why can i not edit my older posts?

 

[Firefly2012]

There's a time limit on when we can edit posts (unless you are a moderator I believe).

Basically, the file has been saved down with its window in a non-maximized state - commonly this happens if you have an extended Windows desktop over dual monitors and you stretch Excel across both then position one workbook window on one screen and another on the other.