Excel opens xls files by making a copy first

[GPzMike]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC

Hi, We are experiencing a strange problem:

All software is updated to latest versions (office and osx).

When we open a .xls file Excel immediately creates a copy of the file then opens that instead.

We've set Excel to save into .xlsx by default in Prefs>>Compatibility>>Transition (I won't go in to how strange it is to find a 'default file format' pref option under 'Compatibility' pane rather than under 'Save' pane...like it is in Word).

When we hit 'save' it just saves the document to the copy.xls file rather than triggering a 'save as' as I'd expect. Furthermore, once we do select 'save as' we are not presented with a window that's about to save into the .xlsx format, but still wants to save as the 'copy.xls'.

There must be something I'm having a brain fart about with this problem. It seems to basic to be something that would come out of Microsoft broken in this manner.

Anyone got any ideas? We've got a spiraling problem with excel documents wherein we don't know which one has the latest info and it's getting hard to keep it all straight in my head.

Lastly, is there a way to batch convert all pre-.###x Office files to the new format? This would likely make my issue become a non-issue (though it wouldn't be fixed I wouldn't really care any more!)

Cheers! Michael

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC

Hi, We are experiencing a strange problem:

All software is updated to latest versions (office and osx).

When we open a .xls file Excel immediately creates a copy of the file then opens that instead.

We've set Excel to save into .xlsx by default in Prefs>>Compatibility>>Transition (I won't go in to how strange it is to find a 'default file format' pref option under 'Compatibility' pane rather than under 'Save' pane...like it is in Word).

When we hit 'save' it just saves the document to the copy.xls file rather than triggering a 'save as' as I'd expect. Furthermore, once we do select 'save as' we are not presented with a window that's about to save into the .xlsx format, but still wants to save as the 'copy.xls'.

There must be something I'm having a brain fart about with this problem. It seems to basic to be something that would come out of Microsoft broken in this manner.

Anyone got any ideas? We've got a spiraling problem with excel documents wherein we don't know which one has the latest info and it's getting hard to keep it all straight in my head.

Lastly, is there a way to batch convert all pre-.###x Office files to the new format? This would likely make my issue become a non-issue (though it wouldn't be fixed I wouldn't really care any more!)

Cheers! Michael

Hi Michael,

Right click on a file that's opening as a file and choose Get Info. See
if the Stationery Pad button is checked. If it is, uncheck it. That
button makes the file into a template, and that will open as a copy when
it is double-clicked in finder.

You can batch convert files to the new format using the Open XML
converter. It's a free download from Mactopia
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP


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[GPzMike]

Hi Jim,

I got pulled away to other projects, but I finally got back to this one.

I downloaded the Open XML Converter as you suggested, but all it does is convert .docx files to .doc files. When I drag a .doc file onto the program it reports an unrecognized file.

I want to go the other way: convert all my .doc files to .docx files.

Thanks, Jim!

Michael

 

[GPzMike]

Actually, Jim, just so we are on the same page I'm actually doing the testing with Excel documents rather than Word documents. Not that it matters, but one never knows...

Cheers!
Michael