Excel - open file odd behavour

[gorgeo]

I'm running two monitors, and I wanted to enable Excel to run multiple instances on seperate monitors (so I can compare two files). Anyway, I changed the way .XLS is associated (removed the tick for DDE), which has worked fine - except:

When I open a file (by double clicking the file, eg "Pro Limit Indent.xls") - excel does really strange things. It tries to find the following files, without success:
"C:\Documents.xls"
"and.xls"
"settings\all.xls"
"users\documents\pro.xls"
"limit.xls"
"indent.xls"

Oh, and the file I tried to open doesn't actually open. If I then use Excel to open the file (File|Open), then it opens without issue.

What can I do to restore functionally? Does anyone know what excel is actually trying to do?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Shippwreck]

hi,

Don't know the fix for your specific problem, but i had a similar problem opening folders that may relate.

I was playing about in tools, folder options, file types one day and went to edit file folder or folder (can't remember which one.) I made no changes as i was just looking and then clicked cancel. After that whenever i tried to open a folder from a shortcut or just by double clicking on the folder instead of opening it XP opened up a search for files or folders dialogue box.

After some searching on the net i found it was an XP bug in that if you edit the way they open it then defaults to search rather than open, no matter if you make changes or not. The fix was to search for a registry value and then change it, quite simple once you know what you're looking for.

The details are here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321186

I'm wondering if when you changed your settings a similar problem may have happened?

Shippwreck

http://www.orlandoluxuryvilla-pool.com

 

[TheLad]

It would appear that it has lost the ability to open long filenames in long directory names. If you notice, the DDE setting was something like:

[open("%1")]

The "%1" details the actual filename and the quotes allow the system to treat it as a long filename. Without it, it treats it as an 8.3 DOS name.

If you check the File Association again, it should have put %1 at the end of the Application Used to Perform Action name. If it has, put the %1 in quotes and that should resolve your issue.

-----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
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[gorgeo]

[open("%1")]

Thanks - Putting this back has fixed my problem.

But it returns me to my old problem of not being able to view two seperate Excel files on seperate monitors.

Does anyone know how to do this without screwing up file associations?

Many thanks,
Goshen

 

[TheLad]

If you launch two seperate instances of Excel, can't you "drag" one of them across to the other monitor?

-----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
-----------------------------------------------------

 

[gorgeo]

Yes, that was easy...! Don't know why I haven't got that to work before.

I was a little pre-empting on the File Assocations fix however... Putting back [open("%1")] in the "DDE Message" of the open dialogue only partially fixed the original problem. It still asks for all the 'missing files', even though it ends up opening the requested file ok.

I found that I also needed to put %1 in quote marks ("%1") into the "Application used to perform action" to get rid of the original messages. Or, perhaps I could have put /dde instead of "%1", but I've got it working now, so not going to fiddle further.

Thanks for the help.