# One PC can't open an XLS **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341 "2004-01-14T03:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/1 "2004-01-14T03:25:31Z")
One PC can no longer open an Excel file. The other PCs can still. It is the PC, not the user. Any ideas? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/2 "2004-01-14T03:29:33Z")
Using Excel? Can the one PC still open the Excel application by itself, without double-clicking on an .xls file? If not, Excel might be your problem. If yes, did .xls file types somehow get associated with nothing or some other program? Not using Windows right now, so I can’t give you steps on how to check that. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/3 "2004-01-14T03:33:05Z")
Sorry. XLS is still associated with Excel. You can preview the file. I uninstalled and reinstalled Office 2000 to no avail. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/4 "2004-01-14T03:41:07Z")
Sorry again. Excel opens a blank spreadsheet when you click on the file or use FILE OPEN. ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/5 "2004-01-14T04:49:15Z")
So Excel will open and pull up a blank spreadsheet. The file in question will preview. It will open on one computer, but not the other. Is it a particularly large file? Can you double-click on another .xls file and have it open in Excel? And, because I am morally obligated to ask, have you tried it with [OpenOffice](http://openoffice.org)? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/6 "2004-01-14T17:32:41Z")
> [@leenmi](#): > > Is it a particularly large file? > Can you double-click on another .xls file and have it open in Excel? No, smaller than some others XLS that will open from that PC. ---
**Author:** ![evilhomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@evilhomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhomer)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/7 "2004-01-14T18:48:36Z")
The document isn’t being opened with the wrong worksheet selected is it? So if the data is on Sheet1, is the xls file opening with Sheet2 showing? On the computer that will open the file, can you copy and paste the data to a new file, and try opening that on the other PC? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/8 "2004-01-14T21:09:46Z")
> [@evilhomer](#): > > The document isn’t being opened with the wrong worksheet selected is it? So if the data is on Sheet1, is the xls file opening with Sheet2 showing? No. > [@evilhomer](#): > > On the computer that will open the file, can you copy and paste the data to a new file, and try opening that on the other PC? You can copy the file to another than cannot be opened by the PC in question. Kind of large to cut and paste. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/9 "2004-01-14T21:13:44Z")
Can you export the XLS spreadsheet to a Word Doc, open the Word Doc on the second PC, and then export the spreadsheet data to a blank XLS spreadsheet? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-pc-cant-open-an-xls/224341/10 "2004-01-15T02:18:55Z")
> [@quietman1920](#): > > Can you export the XLS spreadsheet Perhaps, but this is a networked document. Besides, my user might break it again.