Previous version files with List Manager do not open in 2008

[Aaron_289]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hello all,

As the computer tech for a University faculty, I've been encountering a problem with files professors have created in their older versions of Excel if they've happened to use the List Manager feature. When trying to open on 2008, the file simply closes -- never even opens actually.

If I go to a computer with the older version, I can open it, copy everything, paste it to a blank document, then resave it, then send that file back to the new computer, and now that the list manager has not been used, the file opens fine.

Is there a fix for this so that I can open the files in 2008?

Cheers,

Aaron

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Aaron -

I kinda doubt the List Manager has anything to do with it - at least that
wouldn't be my first guess Does this happen if they actually use File>
Open rather than double-clicking a file icon? Are these files that may have
originated elsewhere &/or have been passed around repeatedly via web &
email?

Are the 2008 systems updated to Office 12.1.0 (SP1) but not fully updated to
12.1.1? If so it sounds more like you're experiencing what's described in
item #13 here:

http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Word2008Issues.html#doubleclick

If I've missed my guess please provide more substantial information about
the nature of the files, whether they originated on PC or Mac, what versions
are involved, what technique is being used to open the files & specifically
what happens in each case. OS version info would also be helpful.

BTW - when's the last time Disk Utility - Repair Disk Permissions was run on
the systems exhibiting the problem?

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

 

[Aaron_289]

Thanks for starting me off with a very detailed response. I will have to wait now until the next problem occurs. What I can tell you is this: The file had only ever existed on his system and weren't even emailed to me - I had him bring me his laptop, I did indeed use file->open, and I fix the permissions every time a professor has me work on their computer, so the problem popped up within a few minutes of having done this, and indeed his Office is fully up to date.

I'll see if I can pull his original file from a backup and try another couple of files from some other professors and see what happens.

Cheers!

 

[Pat McMillan]

I posted this comment to another thread in this group earlier today. Could
this be the problem you're seeing:

Is there any chance that the sheet names in your workbooks contain forward
slash or back slash characters? If so, the 12.1 update caused a problem that
prevents Excel from opening such files. Although those characters are
invalid for use in sheet names, Excel should still be able to open those
files (and remove the invalid characters). If you have access to an earlier
version of Mac Excel, or to Windows Excel, you can open those files and
remove the invalid characters from their sheet names. If not, we're hoping
to release a fix soon that will allow Excel to start opening these files
again.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[Aaron_289]

Thanks again - indeed another thing I always avoid in file names, and I know these names were all fine as well.

At this point all of his files appear to be working -- now that I fixed those ones that first showed the problem. I'll keep my eyes out for any other such problems and see if the issue occurs again.

Thanks so much for your info!

Cheers,

Aaron