I am using OleDb to connect to an Excel file from my VB.NET code and
am receiving an error message saying "Could not decrypt file."

The workbook is definitely not password protected - I even tried
adding password protection and then removing it again but this did not
resolve the problem.

It can be worked around by having the workbook open while trying to
make the connection, but this is not a practical solution as
eventually this code needs to run on our webserver, where Excel
automation is not permitted.

Does anyone have any suggestions/solutions for this error?

Jo