Gray Screen when opening Desktop

[Brenda from Michigan]

Excel 2002 SP3, Windows XP

The user has a couple dozen Excel files residing on his desktop. If he
double clicks on any of them from the desktop, they open with a gray screen.
The Window menu is deactivated except for Hide. I hide then unhide but still
don't get anything. I have tried Window|Arrange|Tiles but still don't get
anything. I've run Detect and Repair with no change.

If the user actually opens Excel, goes to the Desktop, then opens any of
those Excel documents, they open fine. Any ideas why we can't open files
directly from the Desktop? TIA!

 

[Gord Dibben]

Try the usual fix for this.

Tools>Options>General Uncheck "Ignore Other Applications"

If no joy with that................

Close Excel first and On the Windows Taskbar

1) Start>Run "excel.exe /unregserver"(no quotes)>OK.
2) Start>Run "excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)>OK.

See the space between exe and /regserver

You might have to designate a full path to excel.exe.

In that case Start>Run "C:\yourpath\excel.exe" /regserver(quotes required)>OK.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

The ignore apps fixed the problem. Thank you.

 

[Dave in Dallas]

re: 1) Start>Run "excel.exe /unregserver"(no quotes)>OK.
2) Start>Run "excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)>OK.

Will this work if the gray screen condition occurs only sporadically?????

 

[Gord Dibben]

I would think so but I don't know why the "sporadically" occurs.

Try it, it can't hurt.


Gord