Member Avatar for Amy M.

Have new iMac w/ OS 10.6.6. Installed older version of Excel (2004). Worked fine. Opened files, worked on them, no problem. There are 5 files, though that won't open. Tried double-clicking and get a "flash" of the loading bar but nothing opens. Went to menu bar: File, Open, find file name, etc. The thumbnail shows the file w/ data in it but it will not open it.

I copied the file to a jump drive, took it the old G4 PowerMac and the file opens! So the file seems to be fine.

The file is one which I update every year. At the end of the year I do Save As, and in the newly created copy, change the year in the title and delete the cell contents. Basically use the same file from year to year.

Files up to and including year 2004, open fine. Years 2005-2010 do not open. However there are other unrelated spreadsheets that were created in 2010 that open just fine.

It's a mystery to me. Not sure if OS conflict w/ older version of Excel - but then why would it work for some files and not others.

It seems to be only these 5 files which are affected.

Would reinstalling the Excel software possibly correct it? Or make it worse?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

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Brief expert summary (builds on and ): when a few workbooks fail to open while others work, the usual causes are a workbook-specific corruption or embedded object/macro that the local Excel instance chokes on, corrupted Excel preferences/startup items, or file-permission/ownership issues on the new Mac. Try targeted diagnostics first — a full reinstall is a blunt tool and is best done only after these checks. (learn.microsoft.com)

Quick, safe checklist to try now:

  1. Make copies of the problem files (keep originals). Try opening the copies from inside Excel (File > Open) rather than double-clicking.
  2. Use another app to test the file: LibreOffice (Calc) or Apple Numbers can often open damaged or odd-format workbooks so you can re-save a clean copy (CSV or a plain .xls). If that succeeds, re-save as a fresh workbook and try that in Excel. (help.libreoffice.org)
  3. Look for embedded objects or add-ins (charts, OLE objects, Flash, macros). If you can open the file on the older Mac, remove embedded media/macros and Save As a new file; that often removes the bad element. (support.microsoft.com)
  4. Reset Excel settings and remove startup add-ins (non-destructive): quit Excel, move Excel preference files out of ~/Library/Preferences (com.microsoft.Excel*.plist), and check the Office startup folders for XLA/XLL files (/Applications/Microsoft Office 2004/Office/Startup or the user startup locations). Then relaunch Excel and try again. If Excel itself fails to start, follow Microsoft’s troubleshooting steps (preferences, Repair Disk Permissions). (learn.microsoft.com)
  5. Check file ownership/permissions (Get Info > Sharing & Permissions). If the files came from another Mac or an external drive, correct ownership or copy them to the local drive. (support.apple.com)

If none of the above fixes it: a reinstall can help when application files are damaged. Office 2004 includes a Remove Office utility (Additional Tools on the CD) and Microsoft’s guidance for restoring the suite is to remove and reinstall rather than expect a partial uninstall to clean every shared component — so back up Microsoft User Data and templates before you proceed. (ftp.zx.net.nz)

Short takeaway: try the file-rescue and prefs/add-ins steps first (they are fast and reversible). If those fail, use Remove Office or a full reinstall of Office 2004, then apply updates.

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Member Avatar for lillygil

Reinstalling will sole it.

Member Avatar for Amy M.

Thank you! Should I Uninstall first, since some updates were downloaded after I installed it from the disks?

If I should uninstall, could you please tell me if it is possible to uninstall only the Excel portion? So far I can only find instructions on how to uninstall Office 2004 as a package, and not just the Excel portion.

Thanks again.

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