You cannot open Excel files in Windows Explorer after you use the Text Import Wizard to open a text file

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This article was previously published under Q320516

SYMPTOMS

After you use the Text Import Wizard to open a text file, you cannot open a Microsoft Excel file by double-clicking the file in Microsoft Windows Explorer or by clicking Start, pointing to My Recent Documents, and then clicking the file. Even if you cancel the Text Import Wizard and do not actually open the Excel file, you cannot open the Excel file from the Windows Explorer interface in that session of Excel.

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RESOLUTION

Service pack information

This problem is corrected in Office XP Service Pack 3.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Office XP. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307841 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307841/ ) How to obtain the latest Office XP Service Pack

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Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Size        File name
   -----------------------------------------------
   28-Aug-2002  14:11  12,429,096  Excel.msp
   28-Aug-2002  14:34  13,452,648  Excel_admin.cab

After the hotfix is installed, the following files will have the listed attributes or later:

   Date        Time      Version      Size       File name     
   -------------------------------------------------------
   23-Aug-2002 15:59:05  10.0.4420.0  9,173,576  Excel.exe

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Steps to reproduce the problem

In Excel 2002, on the File menu, click Open.
Select any text file, and then click Open. The Text Import Wizard will appear.
Click Finish on the Text Import Wizard to open the file.
Switch to Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then double-click any Excel file.

Results: Excel 2002 is brought to the foreground, but the Excel file does not open.

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