Problem Sharing Excel Files With PC Users

[texhorns98]

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

I tried to send a small Excel file to a colleague yesterday and they were unable to open it. It came across as a .dat file! This only happens with files I CREATE on my Mac, not files created elsewhere and residing on my Mac. When my colleague tried to open this file on his Mac at home, it tried to open as a .mpeg. Any ideas?!?

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

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

I tried to send a small Excel file to a colleague yesterday and they were
unable to open it. It came across as a .dat file! This only happens with files
I CREATE on my Mac, not files created elsewhere and residing on my Mac. When
my colleague tried to open this file on his Mac at home, it tried to open as a
.mpeg. Any ideas?!?

How are you sending it? Did it have an extension? Did you compress it?

 

[texhorns98]

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

I tried to send a small Excel file to a colleague yesterday and they were
unable to open it. It came across as a .dat file! This only happens with files
I CREATE on my Mac, not files created elsewhere and residing on my Mac. When
my colleague tried to open this file on his Mac at home, it tried to open as a
.mpeg. Any ideas?!?

How are you sending it? Did it have an extension? Did you compress it?
[/QUOTE]
I tried several ways. First I just dragged it into my Mail program (the joys of Mac) an that didn't work. Then I tried using the attachment button in Mail so that I could make sure the "Windows friendly attachment" box was checked. No go there. Then, I tried a different file that was blank and freshly created. This also did not work. Any Excel files I have created by other (non Mac) users seems to be OK. I just happens from files I create on my own machine. Any help you can offer would be great! Also, this does not happen with Word files. They're fine.

 

[texhorns98]

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

I tried to send a small Excel file to a colleague yesterday and they were
unable to open it. It came across as a .dat file! This only happens with files
I CREATE on my Mac, not files created elsewhere and residing on my Mac. When
my colleague tried to open this file on his Mac at home, it tried to open as a
.mpeg. Any ideas?!?

How are you sending it? Did it have an extension? Did you compress it?

--
Bob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh
bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom

I'm not sure if this got to you earlier.[/QUOTE]

I tried several ways. First I just dragged it into my Mail program (the joys of Mac) an that didn't work. Then I tried using the attachment button in Mail so that I could make sure the "Windows friendly attachment" box was checked. No go there. Then, I tried a different file that was blank and freshly created. This also did not work. Any Excel files I have created by other (non Mac) users seems to be OK. I just happens from files I create on my own machine. Any help you can offer would be great! Also, this does not happen with Word files. They're fine.

 

[texhorns98]

Anyone? : )

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

Anyone? : )

Have you tried sending it to your self to see how it arrives? I do not use
MAIL, but have been sending and receiving Excel files to windows and Mac
user for years with no problems. So, the problem, is not Excel, but
something with how it is being handled by your mail environment.

 

[CyberTaz]

The .dat issue is something that occurs on the recipient's end because their
mail server is not properly configured. To avoid the problem Zip the file
before attaching - that will also force the recipient to open the file
properly rather than simply double-clicking the attachment icon [a no-no in
the Windows environment in the first place ].

As for the other Mac user I can't be sure, but I would expect a similar
receiving-end glitch there as well. Did that user try to open by
double-clicking or by using File> Open? That's a litmus test to have them
try... If the latter method works it means the file itself is OK & that
there is something amiss on their system or your/their email server (not
your email client software).

Again, zipping or stuffing the file before sending is a good practice to
help avoid either case. It also has the additional benefit of making for a
smaller message.

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

 

[texhorns98]

I just sent it to myself and had no issues. I also just zipped it up and sent it to a friend. I'll let everyone know how that pans out.

 

[texhorns98]

He still can't open it. I also just sent it from Entourage and got the same thing. What the?!?

 

[Guest]

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Sometimes it's the easiest things that get me, and I over think things to the MAX. I was grooving on the Mac way of life and forgot to put an extension on there. Clicked the Append File Extension in Word, but never in Excel. Doesn't full explain why he couldn't open it on his Mac at home, but perhaps something gets lots in email. Thanks for your time and efforts!

 

[Phillip Jones]

In the OS 9 you didn't have these problems because of the two fork file
system. you had the data Fork contained all the data , and resource fork
told the computer what application and file type it was. Of course if
you sent files to PC folks If you didn't send as AppleDouble which
combined the two forks, they would get two files and would have to try
one or the other. But if the did that then there was *no* file and Type
sent it was just data. And the PC's could understand.

With OSX you have to use Unix style file system which demands the
extension. If you send through internet now you may get a server that
has mime types set right then again you may not. So this causes the
confusion. So to prevent problems *always* send with extension. And to
absolutely safe send as zipped file. OSX can understand and unzip files
and PC's have always been able to since PKWare Zip Days. The actual
creator of the zip unzip format.

wrote:

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Sometimes it's the easiest things that get me, and I over think things to the MAX. I was grooving on the Mac way of life and forgot to put an extension on there. Clicked the Append File Extension in Word, but never in Excel. Doesn't full explain why he couldn't open it on his Mac at home, but perhaps something gets lots in email. Thanks for your time and efforts!

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[CyberTaz]

Glad to hear it!

As for your friend, I can hazard a guess: If the problem is that he can open
the file if he uses File> Open but it *doesn't* open if he just
double-clicks the icon he needs to update Office to 12.1.1 - This is an
issue where certain mail clients/browsers make an inappropriate change to
the file identity which SP1 (12.1.0) caused Excel to ignore the file. The
12.1.1 update restores recognition of that identity & some of the clients
involved have also updated to avoid the identity issue in the first place.

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