Sometimes one of these works when you double click on a file in windows explorer
and it doesn't work (similar to your Outlook problem):

Tools|Options|General|Ignore other applications (uncheck it)

--- or ---

Close Excel and
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /unregserver
then
Windows Start Button|Run
excel /regserver

The /unregserver & /regserver stuff resets the windows registry to excel's
factory defaults.

Angel123 wrote:

I have just installed Microsoft Outlook 2003. I can no longer open Excel
documents. The message I get is 'cannot find specified file'. When I open
Excel it tells me the office assistant could not be started, please re run.
This did not happen before I installed MS Outlook. I can no longer find my
Office Professional installation programme so I assume this now means I
cannot use Excel.

--

Dave Peterson