Now I Cannot Open any XL File!!

[monirg]

Dear Sir / Madam;

1. I had my Laptop on service at STAPLES from Oct 2018 to Mar 2019 to “Update the Network Driver”
   
2. Staples did an extremely bad job, andnow I cannot open any of my files (XL files or any of my User Forms).
3. 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]
   
   
4. I have no intention to call STAPLES anymore after they had made this mess!
5. 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.”
   
   
6. After checking the location of thefile and changing the file extension to .xls,I got the same above message (Item 5 above)
   
   
7. 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

 

[RoryA]

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.

 

[monirg]

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

 

[RoryA]

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?

 

[monirg]

Hi Rory;

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

1. I don’t know what I’ve done recently, but now I can open (previous) files with extension: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.pdf.
2. 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 Formor an XL w/b?
3. I can open (now) a NEW XL w/b using Office 2010 by clicking the relevant shortcut.
4. 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

 

[RoryA]

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?

 

[monirg]

Hi Rory;

Yes. ALL files on the same drive.

Kind regards.

Monir

 

[RoryA]

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

 

[monirg]

Hi Rory;

Thank you for your time and effort.

Monir