cannot open excel file - error log created

[Joe]

I go to open an excel spreadsheet that was working perfectly fine on Friday
(it is now Monday), and I get the following error message (regardless of
Macro settings):

"EXCEL.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows.
You will need to restart the program.

An error log is being created."

I did a search of all "*.log" files on my computer, and the only one
modified at the same time as the error is drwtsn32.log. Here's the entry I
get from the log file:

"Application exception occurred:
App: (pid=624)
When: 6/6/2005 @ 10:28:51.290
Exception number: c0000005 (access violation)

*----> System Information <----*
Computer Name:
User Name:
Number of Processors: 1
Processor Type: x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 6
Windows 2000 Version: 5.0
Current Build: 2195
Service Pack: 4
Current Type: Uniprocessor Free
Registered Organization:
Registered Owner:

*----> Task List <----*
0 Idle.exe
8 System.exe
144 SMSS.exe
168 CSRSS.exe
188 WINLOGON.exe
216 SERVICES.exe
228 LSASS.exe
412 svchost.exe
448 spoolsv.exe
496 cisvc.exe
488 svchost.exe
572 regsvc.exe
600 mstask.exe
696 stisvc.exe
764 WinMgmt.exe
776 svchost.exe
336 explorer.exe
1024 hpgs2wnd.exe
936 ViewMgr.exe
928 acrotray.exe
864 WZQKPICK.exe
916 hpgs2wnf.exe
288 OUTLOOK.exe
632 MAPISP32.exe
1156 cidaemon.exe
624 EXCEL.exe
308 DRWTSN32.exe
0 _Total.exe"

also, at the end of nearly every "stack back trace" list, the following
"function names" are generated:

"ntdll!NtWaitForMultipleObjects
kernel32!WaitForMultipleObjects
kernel32!lstrcmpiW"

I don't think that has anyting to contribute, except that the kernel32 part
scares me a bit.....

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get as much info down as
possible.....

 

[L.White]

I have to ask if that is your task list when Excel is not open. If so then
it should not show up and that means you have multiple sessions running. If
that is the case then close the one showing up in the tasks.

I would assume you have already rebooted but if not then please do so.

Hopefully that helps
LWhite

 

[Joe]

That's the task list at the time the error occurs (to the best of my
understanding). Both immediately before and after I try to open the file,
excel.exe is not running and therefore not part of the task list.

 

[Dave Peterson]

Saved from a previous post:
===========================

I think you're gonna have to do some detective work.

Maybe it's the workbook, maybe it's really excel.

If it only occurs with this one workbook, then I'd bet it wasn't excel. If it
happens with other workbooks, too, then maybe Help|Detect and repair (or
reinstalling) would help.

If it's only this one workbook, then maybe it's the workbook that's corrupted.
It seems like each version of excel is sensitive to slightly different stuff.
(xl2k could have trouble, xl2002 may not--in fact, lots of people have reported
that xl2002 can open files that xl97 or xl2k couldn't.)

Maybe you could try to find a copy of xl2002+ to see if opening|saving it there
would help.

And if it is a corrupted workbook, you may want to try openoffice. Lots of
people have said that it's recovered workbooks that excel couldn't.

(http://www.openoffice.org, a 60-65 meg download or a CD)

If the file is really important, there are commercial recovery services. I've
never used it, but you might want to check into:
http://www.officerecovery.com

=============
Some more info.

Sometimes, it's not the workbook itself that's causing the problem.

If you start excel in safe mode:
close excel
windows start button|Run
Excel /safe

The file|open your workbook,

does it work ok?

If yes, then maybe it's the file that holds the toolbar customizations that's
damaged.

Close excel
windows start button|search (or find)
*.xlb
(Look for hidden files in hidden folders, too)

Rename all of them to *.xlbOLD.

Start excel normally and see if it works ok.

If yes, then dump those *.xlbOLD files and customize your toolbar at your
leisure.

If there's still problems, then close excel and rename the *.xlbOLD files back
to *.xlb (no harm, no foul!).

If you want to read more...

Chip Pearson has some notes on how to diagnose startup errors at:
http://www.cpearson.com/excel/StartupErrors.htm

And Jan Karel Pieterse has more notes at:
http://www.jkp-ads.com/Articles/StartupProblems.htm