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#1
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document doesn't open unrecognizable format
I have Excel workbooks that I have been using over a period of years.
Recently, I have encountered a problem opening the workbooks and get the message that "the file is an unrecognizable format". If I open it in text mode, it is not usable data. Files that have been just fine will suddenly have this problem. I have backups but once excel refuses to open the document, I get the same message trying to open the backups. I have emailed the files to another computer and it still won't open. So it appears that something is corrupting the files. Any ideas? |
#2
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MSWord will open .xls files. And you can save that file in MSWord as a word
document but with .xls as the extension. If you try opening the file in MSWord and it works, then you can copy and paste into a new excel workbook to save a small part of the data. If all your backups are saved as word documents, I think you're in big trouble--any chance there's a backup that your IT department made??? ==== If it's not saving in MSWord that caused the trouble,... Sometimes, opening the file in OpenOffice and saving there will help: http://www.openoffice.org, a 60-65 meg download or a CD Sometimes, later versions of excel can open a file that earlier versions can't. tkay wrote: I have Excel workbooks that I have been using over a period of years. Recently, I have encountered a problem opening the workbooks and get the message that "the file is an unrecognizable format". If I open it in text mode, it is not usable data. Files that have been just fine will suddenly have this problem. I have backups but once excel refuses to open the document, I get the same message trying to open the backups. I have emailed the files to another computer and it still won't open. So it appears that something is corrupting the files. Any ideas? -- Dave Peterson |
#3
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When I opened these excel workbooks, it is not usable data to save in any
form. I am interested in knowing what has happened to my excel documents that they won't open so I can stop it from occuring any more and also if anyone knows how to recover these excel files. "tkay" wrote: I have Excel workbooks that I have been using over a period of years. Recently, I have encountered a problem opening the workbooks and get the message that "the file is an unrecognizable format". If I open it in text mode, it is not usable data. Files that have been just fine will suddenly have this problem. I have backups but once excel refuses to open the document, I get the same message trying to open the backups. I have emailed the files to another computer and it still won't open. So it appears that something is corrupting the files. Any ideas? |
#4
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Did you try opening the files in MSWord?
If MSWord opens it ok, I'd bet that someone opened it in MSWord and saved it there (or had autosave turned on and that saved it). If MSWord can't open it, then at least you've eliminated one more possibility. tkay wrote: When I opened these excel workbooks, it is not usable data to save in any form. I am interested in knowing what has happened to my excel documents that they won't open so I can stop it from occuring any more and also if anyone knows how to recover these excel files. "tkay" wrote: I have Excel workbooks that I have been using over a period of years. Recently, I have encountered a problem opening the workbooks and get the message that "the file is an unrecognizable format". If I open it in text mode, it is not usable data. Files that have been just fine will suddenly have this problem. I have backups but once excel refuses to open the document, I get the same message trying to open the backups. I have emailed the files to another computer and it still won't open. So it appears that something is corrupting the files. Any ideas? -- Dave Peterson |
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