Mac Excel (Office 2008) and Windows xlsx Files

[Milenkod]

I too am having problems opening xlsx files on Mac Office 2008. These
are files that were generated in (Windows) Office 2007. The error I
keep getting is:

"The file might have been damaged or modified from its original
format."

I do not have pivot tables, tried renaming them to .xls and .xml and I
get the same error. I've resurrected my Windows XP machine and re-
saved them as xls and they open in Mac Office just fine.
I have too many files to re-save them on my Windows machine and they
contain sensitive financial/corporate accounting information so I am
not at liberty to post them for analyzation. Can anyone shed some
light on what the issue might be?

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm afraid I don't really have a solution for you, but perhaps a few points
for consideration or directions to pursue;

First, altering the extension does absolutely nothing to change the file
type or in any way "fix" a file. In fact, it can do more harm than good.

What is your exact update level of Mac Office?

How were the files transferred from Win to Mac? That can make a difference -
browsers & email software have been known to cause issues. Have you tried
zipping the files before transporting from one platform to the other? Saving
directly to a USB Stick rather than using WinExplorer to copy can present
less than satisfactory results.

FWIW, I have approx. 100 .xlsx & .xlsm files, all of which were created on a
PC, and have no problem opening any of them in 2008 on either of my Macs.
There are some that will open as Read Only [with appropriate notification] &
some that advise of features used which are not supported by 2008, but none
refuse to open or produce the error message you're reporting.

Are there any features, automations, or other types of content in the files
that could be contributing to the problem? That could explain why saving in
the older format resolves the issue - the obstacles are being converted at
the source. Do any of the sheet names use special characters of any kind?
What else can you say about files involved?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Milenkod]

I'm afraid I don't really have a solution for you, but perhaps a few points
for consideration or directions to pursue;

First, altering the extension does absolutely nothing to change the file
type or in any way "fix" a file. In fact, it can do more harm than good.

What is your exact update level of Mac Office?

How were the files transferred from Win to Mac? That can make a difference -
browsers & email software have been known to cause issues. Have you tried
zipping the files before transporting from one platform to the other? Saving
directly to a USB Stick rather than using WinExplorer to copy can present
less than satisfactory results.

FWIW, I have approx. 100 .xlsx & .xlsm files, all of which were created on a
PC, and have no problem opening any of them in 2008 on either of my Macs.
There are some that will open as Read Only [with appropriate notification] &
some that advise of features used which are not supported by 2008, but none
refuse to open or produce the error message you're reporting.

Are there any features, automations, or other types of content in the files
that could be contributing to the problem? That could explain why saving in
the older format resolves the issue - the obstacles are being converted at
the source. Do any of the sheet names use special characters of any kind?
What else can you say about files involved?

The files were transfered thus: the Windows machine is connected to my
AirportExtreme Base Station. The iMac is wireless. I logged onto the
Windows machine though the iMac and copied them over to the iMac.

Both the Windows and Mac Office have the most recent updates applied.

Quite a few of the files that do work are read-only but I can't
perform a "save-as". Most of those files happen to be older revisions
of the same files I can't open (they've been updated with added
information as the data was developed). Some of the read-only files
do report something about VB scripts and macros not compatible in Mac
Office. That's the odd thing...the older files with less data have
only that...less data and it's only financial info in the cells. No
macros or scripts that I can think of.

I'll try to copy them to a USB drive on the Windows machine. I need
to figure it out soon as that Windows machine is being gifted to
someone else.

 

[Milenkod]

I'm afraid I don't really have a solution for you, but perhaps a few points
for consideration or directions to pursue;

First, altering the extension does absolutely nothing to change the file
type or in any way "fix" a file. In fact, it can do more harm than good.

What is your exact update level of Mac Office?

How were the files transferred from Win to Mac? That can make a difference -
browsers & email software have been known to cause issues. Have you tried
zipping the files before transporting from one platform to the other? Saving
directly to a USB Stick rather than using WinExplorer to copy can present
less than satisfactory results.

FWIW, I have approx. 100 .xlsx & .xlsm files, all of which were created on a
PC, and have no problem opening any of them in 2008 on either of my Macs.
There are some that will open as Read Only [with appropriate notification] &
some that advise of features used which are not supported by 2008, but none
refuse to open or produce the error message you're reporting.

Are there any features, automations, or other types of content in the files
that could be contributing to the problem? That could explain why saving in
the older format resolves the issue - the obstacles are being converted at
the source. Do any of the sheet names use special characters of any kind?
What else can you say about files involved?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

I too am having problems opening xlsx files on Mac Office 2008.  These
are files that were generated in (Windows) Office 2007. The error I
keep getting is:

"The file might have been damaged or modified from its original
format."

I do not have pivot tables, tried renaming them to .xls and .xml and I
get the same error.  I've resurrected my Windows XP machine and re-
saved them as xls and they open in Mac Office just fine.
I have too many files to re-save them on my Windows machine and they
contain sensitive financial/corporate accounting information so I am
not at liberty to post them for analyzation.   Can anyone shed some
light on what the issue might be?

Well...I have some further updates if anyone is willing to hear
them...

I tried to copy the files to a USB stick and open them again (thinking
that there's a network sharing issue at play)...no luck, same error.
So then I logged onto the Windows machine from my other Mac that has
Apple Numbers. It was able to open the older revision of the file
from several months back and the same file, with the updated data,
that is in question. Numbers was able to open it. Both files
generates an error report but two error items were different. On the
file in question, the following error appeared:
"Hyperlinks within the notebooks and hyperlinks to other files aren't
supported and were removed"
There was also a font missing, which I didn't think would cause file
not to open.

Could this be the source of my problems with the xlsx files? If so,
what to do from here (other than open all in Numbers)??

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm afraid I don't really have a solution for you, but perhaps a few points
for consideration or directions to pursue;

First, altering the extension does absolutely nothing to change the file
type or in any way "fix" a file. In fact, it can do more harm than good.

What is your exact update level of Mac Office?

How were the files transferred from Win to Mac? That can make a difference -
browsers & email software have been known to cause issues. Have you tried
zipping the files before transporting from one platform to the other? Saving
directly to a USB Stick rather than using WinExplorer to copy can present
less than satisfactory results.

FWIW, I have approx. 100 .xlsx & .xlsm files, all of which were created on a
PC, and have no problem opening any of them in 2008 on either of my Macs.
There are some that will open as Read Only [with appropriate notification] &
some that advise of features used which are not supported by 2008, but none
refuse to open or produce the error message you're reporting.

Are there any features, automations, or other types of content in the files
that could be contributing to the problem? That could explain why saving in
the older format resolves the issue - the obstacles are being converted at
the source. Do any of the sheet names use special characters of any kind?
What else can you say about files involved?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

I too am having problems opening xlsx files on Mac Office 2008.  These
are files that were generated in (Windows) Office 2007. The error I
keep getting is:

"The file might have been damaged or modified from its original
format."

I do not have pivot tables, tried renaming them to .xls and .xml and I
get the same error.  I've resurrected my Windows XP machine and re-
saved them as xls and they open in Mac Office just fine.
I have too many files to re-save them on my Windows machine and they
contain sensitive financial/corporate accounting information so I am
not at liberty to post them for analyzation.   Can anyone shed some
light on what the issue might be?

Well...I have some further updates if anyone is willing to hear
them...

I tried to copy the files to a USB stick and open them again (thinking
that there's a network sharing issue at play)...no luck, same error.
So then I logged onto the Windows machine from my other Mac that has
Apple Numbers. It was able to open the older revision of the file
from several months back and the same file, with the updated data,
that is in question. Numbers was able to open it. Both files
generates an error report but two error items were different. On the
file in question, the following error appeared:
"Hyperlinks within the notebooks and hyperlinks to other files aren't
supported and were removed"
There was also a font missing, which I didn't think would cause file
not to open.

Could this be the source of my problems with the xlsx files? If so,
what to do from here (other than open all in Numbers)??

Please don't feel like you're being ignored Everyone here participates
on a voluntary "as-available" basis & free time during a holiday season is
at a premium. I've have done a bit more investigation but just don't have
the actual situation to work with. It makes it a bit problematic to come up
with any suggestions if you can't replicate the circumstances. I haven't
actually encountered the things you're reporting so I don't have personal
experience to draw from. Quite frankly, I'm at a loss for additional
suggestions, but your latest findings are rather intriguing.

The hyperlink error is weird - Numbers does support hyperlinks, so why it
would throw that message is curious. I can understand how some hyperlinks
may not work when the file is opened in 2008 but I've not seen anything to
suggest that they'd prevent the file from opening.

Font issues are always troublesome & can prevent certain programs from
opening a file. If you haven't done so you might try running Apple's Font
Book app to resolve duplicates & validate your fonts. Other utilities such
as Font Finagler [ http://homepage.mac.com/mdouma46/fontfinagler/] can be
useful in cleaning the font cache, but whether that will resolve the issue
is uncertain... But it can't hurt.

What perplexes me the most, however, is not being able to use the Save As
feature with the files you are able to open. The only thing I can think of
there is that PC Excel offers some Protection features not included in the
Mac version. If those features have been used it may be contributing to or
causing the problem... Any possibility of that?

One thing unclear from your previous messages - Have you tried using the
File> Open command from within Excel 2008 rather than dbl-clicking the file
icons? Does that produce the same result? It "may" also shed some light on
the problem if you do a Get Info on some of the problem files to see what it
reports about the files.

I've also run up a flag asking some others to have a look at this thread in
the hope they may have some other thoughts on the matter. I can't promise
anything but I'm sure they will respond if they can.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Milenkod]

I'm afraid I don't really have a solution for you, but perhaps a few points
for consideration or directions to pursue;
First, altering the extension does absolutely nothing to change the file
type or in any way "fix" a file. In fact, it can do more harm than good.
What is your exact update level of Mac Office?
How were the files transferred from Win to Mac? That can make a difference -
browsers & email software have been known to cause issues. Have you tried
zipping the files before transporting from one platform to the other? Saving
directly to a USB Stick rather than using WinExplorer to copy can present
less than satisfactory results.
FWIW, I have approx. 100 .xlsx & .xlsm files, all of which were created on a
PC, and have no problem opening any of them in 2008 on either of my Macs.
There are some that will open as Read Only [with appropriate notification] &
some that advise of features used which are not supported by 2008, butnone
refuse to open or produce the error message you're reporting.
Are there any features, automations, or other types of content in the files
that could be contributing to the problem? That could explain why saving in
the older format resolves the issue - the obstacles are being converted at
the source. Do any of the sheet names use special characters of any kind?
What else can you say about files involved?
Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac
On 12/14/08 1:36 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed),
I too am having problems opening xlsx files on Mac Office 2008.  These
are files that were generated in (Windows) Office 2007. The error I
keep getting is:
"The file might have been damaged or modified from its original
format."
I do not have pivot tables, tried renaming them to .xls and .xml and I
get the same error.  I've resurrected my Windows XP machine and re-
saved them as xls and they open in Mac Office just fine.
I have too many files to re-save them on my Windows machine and they
contain sensitive financial/corporate accounting information so I am
not at liberty to post them for analyzation.   Can anyone shed some
light on what the issue might be?

Well...I have some further updates if anyone is willing to hear
them...

I tried to copy the files to a USB stick and open them again (thinking
that there's a network sharing issue at play)...no luck, same error.
So then I logged onto the Windows machine from my other Mac that has
Apple Numbers.  It was able to open the older revision of the file
from several months back and the same file, with the updated data,
that is in question.  Numbers was able to open it.  Both files
generates an error report but two error items were different.  On the
file in question, the following error appeared:
"Hyperlinks within the notebooks and hyperlinks to other files aren't
supported and were removed"
There was also a font missing, which I didn't think would cause file
not to open.

Could this be the source of my problems with the xlsx files?  If so,
what to do from here (other than open all in Numbers)??

Please don't feel like you're being ignored Everyone here participates
on a voluntary "as-available" basis & free time during a holiday season is
at a premium. I've have done a bit more investigation but just don't have
the actual situation to work with. It makes it a bit problematic to come up
with any suggestions if you can't replicate the circumstances. I haven't
actually encountered the things you're reporting so I don't have personal
experience to draw from. Quite frankly, I'm at a loss for additional
suggestions, but your latest findings are rather intriguing.

The hyperlink error is weird - Numbers does support hyperlinks, so why it
would throw that message is curious. I can understand how some hyperlinks
may not work when the file is opened in 2008 but I've not seen anything to
suggest that they'd prevent the file from opening.

Font issues are always troublesome & can prevent certain programs from
opening a file. If you haven't done so you might try running Apple's Font
Book app to resolve duplicates & validate your fonts. Other utilities such
as Font Finagler [http://homepage.mac.com/mdouma46/fontfinagler/] can be
useful in cleaning the font cache, but whether that will resolve the issue
is uncertain... But it can't hurt.

What perplexes me the most, however, is not being able to use the Save As
feature with the files you are able to open. The only thing I can think of
there is that PC Excel offers some Protection features not included in the
Mac version. If those features have been used it may be contributing to or
causing the problem... Any possibility of that?

One thing unclear from your previous messages - Have you tried using the
File> Open command from within Excel 2008 rather than dbl-clicking the file
icons? Does that produce the same result? It "may" also shed some light on
the problem if you do a Get Info on some of the problem files to see whatit
reports about the files.

I've also run up a flag asking some others to have a look at this thread in
the hope they may have some other thoughts on the matter. I can't promise
anything but I'm sure they will respond if they can.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

I realize that this is a public help forum, so a few days between
responses is understandable.

I've tried to File-->Open the file from within Excel. It still
doesn't open but I can't remember off-hand if it produces the same
error message. I've also tried to GetInfo the file and there seems to
be nothing out of the ordinary; no restricting permissions. I've also
went back to my Windows machine, opened the file and inspected the
properties to ensure it's not locked or protected in any way.

I'll give the Font issue another look-over. I can always try to open
it in Windows, Select-All and try to globally change the fonts to
Arial or something standard, save the file and then see if that works.

 

[babybird]

I have the same problem with "the file might have been damaged or modified from its original format", but it only seems to apply to xlsx files. I retrived the data by opening the xlsx files with the demo version of iwork, some coding went crazy but was easily fixed. I then saved everything as xlsb and I have stopped using xlsx altogether. I have noticed this problem with xlsx files only seems to happen after using Contribute. I got rid of all remaining xlsx files and have just been using Contribute, no xlsb or xls files have been damaged, so perhaps this will help you? I hope so.
Having said that, I have also moved Contribute over to Parallels and that(Parallells) has stopped working now, keeps crashing which it never did before...anyone else had this happen to them?

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

I have the same problem with "the file might have been damaged or modified from its original format", but it only seems to apply to xlsx files. I retrived the data by opening the xlsx files with the demo version of iwork, some coding went crazy but was easily fixed. I then saved everything as xlsb and I have stopped using xlsx altogether. I have noticed this problem with xlsx files only seems to happen after using Contribute. I got rid of all remaining xlsx files and have just been using Contribute, no xlsb or xls files have been damaged, so perhaps this will help you? I hope so.
Having said that, I have also moved Contribute over to Parallels and that(Parallells) has stopped working now, keeps crashing which it never did before...anyone else had this happen to them?

Hi,

A few days ago someone asked me about this problem. I suggested that the
windows user take advantage of the special File > Open and Repair option
that only Windows Excel has.

That method resulted in a report that something was repaired in the file
and apparently the person didn't have trouble with the file after that.

So please give it a try and if you can, reply with the results.

Thanks.

-Jim