Double click Excel file may not work

[zarknoid]

I'm using Windows 7 and Office 2007 and Excel is having this issue. When I double click a particular Excel spreadsheet I get the following error:

Excel cannot access 'FILE.xls'. The document may be read-only or encrypted.

I click OK. Then :

'FILE.xls' cannot be accessed. The file may be corrupted, located on a server that is not responding, or is read-only.

I click OK

This does not happen in all cases. Some Excel files can be opened with a double click. Some files work OK. With this file,if I open Excel first then select the file using file->open the file loads fine. I have checked the file association, it's fine. I've checked the file attributes, it's not flagged read-only.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Welcome to the Seven Forums.

Make a copy of the problematic file and keep it in a safe place.

Open Excel and then open the problematic file using File > Open
Save the file as an XLSX file.
Close Excel

Open Excel and then open that XLSX file using File > Open
Save the file as an "Excel 97-2003 Workbook" XLS file.
Close Excel

Test opening the XLS version just saved via double click.

 

[zarknoid]

When I attempt this it tells me it will remove the VBA code from the file. I do want to retain the VBA code but tried your suggestion anyway. It still brings up the same errors.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Is this file on a server? If so, what happens if you copy it to your desktop?

 

[zarknoid]

It's not a network file. It's in a directory on my C: drive under My Documents

Interesting though it does work on my desktop, but not from the My Documents directory. So I would assume it's something with that directory or inherited rights?

 

[UsernameIssues]

Googling one of the errors that you mentioned showed a few returns pointing to this being a permissions issue - specifically a file ownership thing. You can try taking ownership if you wish.

 

[zarknoid]

Ownership

I took ownership of the file, but still get the same errors. I am logging into a network profile, if that makes any difference.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Do you have another computer that you can test this on?
Can you make these errors happen with a file that can be uploaded to the forum?

 

[zarknoid]

Tried Already

Yep, tried the file on another computer and it worked fine.

 

[zarknoid]

On a side note

On a side note, I was unable to save a Word 2007 file if I double click opened it today. It turned out to be an add-in. Microsoft Fix It found that issue. Probably an Adobe update yesterday did that. I might try turning off add-ins on Excel.

Update: Disabled Add-ons in Excel and it made no difference. Additional note. Created a Microsoft Project file yesterday. No problems with it. Today it gave errors opening a temp file and crashed back to desktop. Opening MS Project, then opening the file from the menu selection works fine.

Could something be messed up in the file association system but not the icon properties?

 

[UsernameIssues]

Yep, tried the file on another computer and it worked fine.

Then we concentrate on the Office installation (and add-ons, like you found).

Have you tried the build in office repair?

 

[zarknoid]

Yep, tried that a few days ago. I think I might try an SFC /SCANNOW and see if there is a system file messed up.

 

[UsernameIssues]

you could try process monitor
there is nothing to install...
...just copy the exe from the zip file and paste it on your desktop.

Filter on the process named excel.exe
When an error comes up, don't click on the error - just leave it
Then look at the info in process monitor
(starting at the bottom and work your way up)

below is a link to a post with some info on using process monitor...
...but you won't de-select the buttons/icons shown in the right part of that first image:
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/252949-missing-start-menu-icons-2.html#post2105453

 

[zarknoid]

I ran process monitor and when accessing my file in the process listing everything is listed as SUCCESS except 3 lines:

Event Class: File System
Operation: CreateFileMapping
Result: FILE LOCKED WITH ONLY READERS
Path: ***Removed for security reasons
TID: 7452
Duration: 0.0000020
SyncType: SyncTypeCreateSection
PageProtection: PAGE_READONLY

===========================================

Date & Time: 2/14/2013 12:08:48 PM
Event Class: File System
Operation: CreateFileMapping
Result: FILE LOCKED WITH WRITERS
Path: ***Removed for security reasons
TID: 7452
Duration: 0.0000017
SyncType: SyncTypeCreateSection
PageProtection: PAGE_READWRITE

==========================================

Date & Time: 2/14/2013 12:08:48 PM
Event Class: File System
Operation: CreateFile
Result: ACCESS DENIED
Path: C:\Users\SYSTEM\AppData\Local\Temp\~DFF8048AEBC14E534D.TMP
TID: 7452
Duration: 0.0000907
Desired Access: Generic Read/Write, Delete
Disposition: Create
Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Delete On Close
Attributes: T
ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete
AllocationSize: 0

 

[zarknoid]

When I open one with double click and it works, there is no line with ACCESS DENIED. I think that's the problem. Possibly not enough rights to create the temp file?

When I gave full rights to users to this temp directory it works!

But shouldn't this path have the logged in user in it? My TEMP variable contains:
c:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Temp
Somehow SYSTEM is getting put in place of the USERNAME

 

[UsernameIssues]

Good detective work

I Googled "\Users\SYSTEM\AppData" (with the quotation marks) and found some things about symbolic links, getting around the UAC and the temp environmental OS variable. But you mentioned earlier that the problem file could be moved to your desktop and it would open without issue... so the OS temp variable is probably not the issue.

I don't have much time to look thru Google's returns right now - maybe if you dig thru them, something will come to mind.