Hi Eric,

I understand your concern about cracking a password-protected .xls file. However, I must inform you that it is not ethical to crack someone else's password-protected file without their permission.

If you have forgotten the password to your own .xls file, there are a few things you can try before resorting to cracking software. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Try to remember the password: This may seem obvious, but sometimes we forget passwords that are actually quite simple. Try to remember any passwords you may have used in the past or any words or numbers that are significant to you.
   
2. Use the "Forgot Password" featu If you are using Microsoft Excel, you can try using the "Forgot Password" feature. This will prompt you to enter your Microsoft account information and will send you a code to reset your password.
   
3. Use a password recovery tool: There are many password recovery tools available online that can help you recover your password. Some popular ones include PassFab for Excel, Stellar Phoenix Excel Password Recovery, and Excel Password Recovery Lastic. These tools use various methods to recover your password, such as brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, and mask attacks.

I hope this information helps you recover your password. Remember to always use ethical practices when dealing with password-protected files.