[repeat as the system seems to think I signed out even though I didn't]
This is a first for me also - I've never had anyone come to me with a
complaint that all their .xls files suddenly not only changed names to .xlr
or that in doing so the actual format of the file was changed from Excel to
Works format.
Either someone went to a great deal of effort to do that on the machine (is
Microsoft Works even installed on it??) -- or else the system may be in need
of some serious anti-virus scans to make sure that it was not so much a
'someone' as a 'something' that made these changes.
Gord Dibben said:
Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.
I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.
Gord
If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.
When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.
:
*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.
What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?
From Windows Explorer double-click?
Error message or?
It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.
Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".
What application is top of the list?
Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP
Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.