JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in Excel
but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??

TIA

Control Panel, Default Programs, "Associate a filetype or protocol with a
Program", scroll down to the desired filetype to use with Excel. Highlight
it, and click the "Change program" button. Select Excel.

--
Please use the Communities guidelines when posting.
[url]http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales/help/help_en-us.htm[/url]
Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP
[url]https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Mark.Ferguson[/url]

"5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> Excel
> but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??
>
> TIA[/color]

"5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> Excel
> but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??[/color]


Do you have Excel, or the free Excel file reader, installed?

ss.

On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:19:00 -0700, 5hulses
<5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in Excel
>but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??
>
>TIA[/color]


With Vista, who knows why it does half the stupid stuff it does.

Try going to Control Panel, Default Programs, then see what if
anything is associated with your spreadsheet file types like .xlb and
..xlc. Change as necessary.

"5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> Excel
> but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??[/color]

How does it know how to open an Excel file if you don't have Excel installed
on the machine? If you have MS Works on the machine, then you're going to
have to use MS Work's Spread Sheet program, open the file manually and
telling it that a .xls file is to be opened.

"5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> Excel
> but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??
>
> TIA[/color]


Excel doesn't come with Vista. You have to buy it and install it
separately....

Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the rest
open no problem

"Mr. Arnold" wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=green]
> > JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> > Excel
> > but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??[/color]
>
> How does it know how to open an Excel file if you don't have Excel installed
> on the machine? If you have MS Works on the machine, then you're going to
> have to use MS Work's Spread Sheet program, open the file manually and
> telling it that a .xls file is to be opened.
>
>[/color]

5hulses wrote:[color=blue]
> JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in Excel
> but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??
>
> TIA[/color]


Three things we need to know:

1) Do you actually have Excel installed?

2) Is the file in question actually an Excel spreadsheet, or other
Excel-compatible format?

3) Why aren't you asking this in an Excel or Office newsgroup? It has
nothing to do with Vista.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
[url]http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html[/url]

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375[/url]

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

5hulses wrote:[color=blue]
> Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the rest
> open no problem
>[/color]

Then that one file is obviously corrupted. Restore from backup.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
[url]http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html[/url]

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375[/url]

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

Ringmaster wrote:

<snipped>

I see you have already went to your next diaper name change. You can
change to a new diaper, but you can't hide.

"5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FC210019-7036-4169-B6CF-AD2FD66E8C2A@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the rest
> open no problem
>[/color]

So why not say that in your first post?

Some of my excel files open no problem, but of course my most important file
it will not recognize & open...tried to change file type extension, but that
still doesn't open THAT particular file...why?

"Mark L. Ferguson" wrote:
[color=blue]
> Control Panel, Default Programs, "Associate a filetype or protocol with a
> Program", scroll down to the desired filetype to use with Excel. Highlight
> it, and click the "Change program" button. Select Excel.
>
> --
> Please use the Communities guidelines when posting.
> [url]http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales/help/help_en-us.htm[/url]
> Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP
> [url]https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Mark.Ferguson[/url]
>
> "5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:25E90EAF-AD08-40E6-9DAB-4433DC0CBE27@microsoft.com...[color=green]
> > JUst got a new computer with Vista (HATE IT!). Tried to open a file in
> > Excel
> > but it says it's not a recognizable format...why??
> >
> > TIA[/color]
>[/color]

Gordon wrote:[color=blue]
> "5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:FC210019-7036-4169-B6CF-AD2FD66E8C2A@microsoft.com...[color=green]
>> Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the
>> rest
>> open no problem
>>[/color]
>
> So why not say that in your first post?[/color]


Because it would have been pertinent to the question?

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
[url]http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html[/url]

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375[/url]

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:ehDopLS3IHA.3500@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Gordon wrote:[color=green]
>> "5hulses" <5hulses@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:FC210019-7036-4169-B6CF-AD2FD66E8C2A@microsoft.com...[color=darkred]
>>> Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the
>>> rest
>>> open no problem
>>>[/color]
>>
>> So why not say that in your first post?[/color]
>
>
> Because it would have been pertinent to the question?
>[/color]

ROTFL!

"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:eqUfn3R3IHA.4036@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> 5hulses wrote:[color=green]
>> Who said I don't have excel installed. It's just one excel file...the
>> rest open no problem
>>[/color]
>
> Then that one file is obviously corrupted. Restore from backup.[/color]


Not obviously. It could be a .xlsx file from Excel 2007, and he has Excel
2003 or earlier. He's need to open it in the Excel 2007 Reader in that
case, or ask whoever sent it to him for another version saved in .xls
format.

ss.