XL97: Excel Opens Without Displaying Workbook

When you double-click a Microsoft Excel workbook (.xls file) in Windows Explorer, Excel does not open the file.

You may receive the following error message: Excel may actually open, but the file will not open. If Excel is already running, a second instance of Excel may start.

This problem may occur if either of the following conditions are true:

• The Ignore Other Applications setting in Microsoft Excel 97 is selected. -or-
  
  
• You previously used the Get External Data command on the Data menu to retrieve data from an external database.

To resolve this behavior, use the following appropriate method.

Method 1

In Microsoft Excel 97, on the Tools menu, click Options. Click the General tab. Clear the Ignore Other Applications checkbox, and click OK.

After you do this, you should be able to open workbooks by double-clicking them in the Windows Explorer.

Method 2

If you clicked Get External Data to retrieve data from an external database, you can open a workbook by doing either of the following:

• On the File menu, click Open. In the Open dialog box, select the file you want to open, and then click Open. -or-
  
  
• Quit and restart Microsoft Excel 97. After you restart the program, you can open a workbook by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.

The first symptom, where double-clicking a workbook fails when the Ignore Other Applications setting is selected, is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

The second symptom, where double-clicking a workbook fails after you use the Get External Data command, has been confirmed by Microsoft to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

When you double-click a Microsoft Excel workbook in the Windows Explorer, a dynamic data exchange (DDE) message is sent to Microsoft Excel, instructing it to open the workbook you double-clicked.

If the Ignore Other Applications setting is selected, Microsoft Excel ignores DDE messages sent to it by other programs. As a result, the DDE message sent to Microsoft Excel by Windows Explorer is ignored, and Microsoft Excel does not open the workbook you double-clicked.

If you use Get External Data to retrieve data from an external database, the macro that retrieves the data uses DDE to communicate with Microsoft Query. However, when the macro is completed, it does not properly reset DDE. Because of this, Microsoft Excel 97 does not accept any incoming DDE messages until you quit and restart Microsoft Excel 97.

This prevents you from opening a Microsoft Excel workbook by double- clicking it in Windows Explorer. It may also cause problems if other programs attempt to send DDE messages to Microsoft Excel 97. In this case, Microsoft recommends that you quit and restart Microsoft Excel 97.