Total Commander opens excel as empty file

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shlackbaum
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Total Commander opens excel as empty file

Post by *shlackbaum »

Hi there.
Always used TC without any problems but now it presented itself with office 365.
At first i had problem that was opening xlsx files as archives. But i fixed that fith files associations.
Now i am facing a different issue (although i think it might have a similar nature)
As Total commander opens files with xlsx (or xlsm or xls) - it does run excel. But it doesn't open file - just the front page of excel app.
Is there a way to fix that?
-
My guess is that TC doesn't understand that i ask him to open FILE in excel (not just open Excel)
OR
There might be some tricky way for Office 365 to associate - because it doesn't really have excel.exe file in folder - just "excel App".
Excel.exe is hidden in \AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps and it doesn't work to show TC this way (It says that there is no access to file even though i run with Admin Rights - it is in "Just for reading" floder though)
But "opening" actually works if i typed "excel.exe" in the "Open-Action" dialog. It's just doesn't open File :( Only Excel.
-
Thank you for your input.
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ghisler(Author)
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Re: Total Commander opens excel as empty file

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Please check your Excel settings, there is a setting to disable DDE (receiving names from programs other than the Explorer).
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shlackbaum
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Re: Total Commander opens excel as empty file

Post by *shlackbaum »

Nope:(
There is a setting in File > Options > Advanced.
It is uncheked (so DDE is enabled).
Actually i now can see that there is NO Microsoft Office in "Repair or Remove Programms" in my Windows 10.
Although i have an Add-in installed with my hands and it is in there and works just fine.
I guess it is some kind of included version from HP All-In-One Desktop. Maybe problem is somewhere there.
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Stefan2
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Just some collected information about problems with newer office and Windows 10

Post by *Stefan2 »

 
For installed Office, try to associate Excel internal in TC with file type XLSX:


Menu "Files > Internal Associations"
- [Add...]
- Specify file type: *.xlsx
- [OK]
- Open [_____] [>>] choose your application >>>> "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" >>> [OK]
- Note that there is a "%1" added, to pass the selected file(s) as argument to that application.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"
- [OK]
- [OK]




For using Office 365 without any Excel.exe on your computer, I have found this tip:
FIRST go to programs and features and run Change/repair Quick Repair.
The product will fixed itself in approximately 4 minutes.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-office-apps-0850af82-da88-4858-9d9a-1b442d933f53


Just some collected information about problems with newer office and Windows 10


Some default collected information, which may fit to this issue or may not.

- - -

Excel XLSX are open like a folder

Actually TC opens the *.xlsx file as an archive (which it really is).

ghisler(Author) wrote:
Mon Jun 25, 2012 15:17
TC opens ZIP files with extensions other than .ZIP as archives if there is no association found for that file type.

Please start Regedit.exe and check the contents of:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xlsx

if the default value is e.g. "xlsx_file_type", you also need to check the contents of
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xlsx_file_type

- - -

Stefan wrote: Found in my Registry:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xlsx >> Default: xlsx_auto_file
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file\shell\open\command >> Default: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"
XX stands for example for 16



You can also utilize TC commands to check that:

Menu "Files > Associate With..."

-------------------------
All files with extension:[ xlsx]
[Edit type..]
-------------------------
Type name: xlsx_auto_file
Open: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" "%1" [_]DDE
-------------------------

XX stands for example for 16

- - -

Also check Menu "Files > Internal Associations" if you had configured something there.

- - -

If you are here to associate a file type:
(for example: To open archives not as a "folder", associate that file type to a program)

Menu "Files > Internal Associations"
- [Add...]
- Specify file type: *.xlsx
- [OK]
- Open [_____] [>>] choose your application >>> "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" >>> [OK]
- Note that there is a "%1" added, to pass the selected file(s) as argument to that application.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\EXCEL.EXE" "%1"
- [OK]
- [OK]


- - -

viewtopic.php?p=346875#p346875
Re: Icons of Excel disappeared

Post by *ghisler(Author) » Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:36
Please use my tool RegistryInfo to gather information about the misbehaving file association, then please post it here:
https://www.totalcommander.ch/win/registryinfo.zip

Look up >> viewtopic.php?p=346875#p346875 to see some example reistry entries. Add there yours too.


- - -

How to change compressed files icon to WinRAR's ?

The icon is an indicator of the behavior of archive inside of TC; they are treated like a folder.
But now there is:

History.txt wrote:
25.03.18 Added: Icon from internal association takes precedence over internal packer icon (e.g. for *.rar) (32/64)


You need to define an internal association for *.rar via "Files -> Internal Associations -> Add"
Just leave the "open" command empty, and set the icon to what you want.

Menu "Files > Internal Associations"
- [Add...]
- Specify file type: *.rar
- [OK]
- [Change icon]
- Open [__leave empty___] [>>]
- [OK]
- [OK]


--------------------


And try to use your OS to associate .xlsx to your excel.exe

See
https://www.tenforums.com/microsoft-office-365/63196-how-make-excel-2016-default-app-open-xls-xlsx-data-files.html




What have you tested till now?
Which Operation System do you use?
Which Office version do you use?
Do you have a "Office" folder on your PC, and an Excel.exe?


And try to use your OS to associate .xlsx to your excel.exe

See: www - tenforums - com/microsoft-office-365/63196-how-make-excel-2016-default-app-open-xls-xlsx-data-files.html
How to make Excel 2016 the default app to open xls and xlsx data files


- SETTINGS==>DEFAULT APPS==>CHOOSE THE DEFAULT APP BY FILE TYPE
but Excel 2016 is not an option. Instead, it tries to send me to the App Store.

- Use Control panel, default programs, associate a file type - you have more options to select version

- If your 2016 is the desktop version, you have to bury into menus by clicking more apps and scrolling
until you find "look for another app on this pc", and then navigate to the 2016 excel executable

- Default Apps
Set default by app
Excel 2016
Choose defaults for this program
tick .xls Microsoft Excel 97-2003
Current default - unknown application
save


- You are supposed to double click on the entry for .xls in control Panel > Set Associations
and in the window that opens choose "More Apps" then in the file explorer window that opens up browse to the Excel executable and select it.

- So launch Excel and leave it running. Start Task Manager [Ctrl+Shift+Esc]
In task manager processes tab scroll to excel.exe and right click on it.
Choose "open file location" from the list and in the window that opens locate excel.exe and note the folder path.
Use that path to browse to the executable in the step above that mentions browsing to the executable.


- I really appreciate your help, but I keep getting the pop-up that sends me to the app store
>>Sorry about that. I forgot about app store lookup for files that cannot be opened.
That's because on my machine I set it NOT to look up apps in the store
so instead it offers to allow the user to browse for a program that's installed on the PC (or needs to be installed)

- Hey for any future searchers out there, also try a quick repair of Office.
Control panel -> Programs and Features ->Select your Office version -> Go to Change -> Quick repair.
This fixed the issue for me without having to set each file type individually.

- - -
- - -
- - -

For using Office 365 without any Excel.exe on your computer, I have found this tip:
FIRST go to programs and features and run Change/repair Quick Repair.
The product will fixed itself in approximately 4 minutes.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-office-apps-0850af82-da88-4858-9d9a-1b442d933f53



https://support.office.com/en-us/article/double-clicking-an-office-file-fails-to-open-it-in-the-correct-office-program-1e9c0ad9-34c8-4440-a42e-d30186b29ed6?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Manually associate files to the correct Office app

Click the Start button
Note: If you're using Windows 7, just click Start > Control Panel then you can skip to step 3, below.

Type and choose "Control Panel"

Click Default Programs (if you don't see Default Programs, type it into the search box at the top right corner of the window and press enter)

Choose Set your default programs

Select the Office 2016 app that isn't opening correctly and choose Set this program as default.

Click OK

Tip: You may want to repeat this process for the other Office 2016 apps while you're here.


- - -

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2016-officeapps/file-associations-for-office-2016-apps-removed-how/55e0e78f-c1d6-4e6a-a159-a493bc216d2f


For me it was uninstalling Office 2010 to fix OneDrive that lost me my associations.
DO NOT uninstall anything as is suggested by some. FIRST go to programs and features and run Change/repair Quick Repair.
The product fixed itself in approximately 4 minutes ( a fifth of the time I spent reading misleading advice!!)
Best of Luck all

Quick repair worked...my file associations are back!


Using Office 365. Lost file associations but could re-associate all files but Publisher.
This method worked first time to resolve - Change/repai/quick fix. Thank you for your original suggestion

- - -

https://superuser.com/questions/367913/why-cant-i-associate-files-with-excel-after-upgrading-to-2010/367936


With Excel 2007 I was able to use Open With to associate TSV files with Excel, so that I could double-click on them and they would automatically open with each value in a different cell.
But since upgrading to Excel 2010, I can't select Excel as the program to use to open TSV files.
If I use Open With and browse to the Excel.EXE and click Open, Excel still isn't in the list of programs to choose.
If I select Excelcnv.EXE, then Excel shows up in the list, but I still can't open the file by double-clicking.



Found the problem while digging around in my registry.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\EXCEL.EXE\shell\open\command

was still pointing at the location of Excel 2007. Apparently the upgrade didn't update this?
Changing this to point at the location of Excel 2010 made it so that Excel would show up in the Open With dialog
after I browsed to the EXE, so I could associate the file type and now it correctly opens and auto-formats!


---

I tried the prior post but it didn't work, probably because HKCR\Applications\EXCEL.EXE\shell\open\command was previously empty in my registry.
But it inspired me to search the Registry for the field values containing the directory Office12 and replace all occurences with Office14
(except when in an Office12 directory) and that worked for me.


---


1. Right-click on a file that you want to associate with Excel 2010
2. chose open with
3. Select Choose default program
4. Select Always use the selected program to open this kind of file
Note: Excel will not show up on the list

5. You need to select Browse and copy & paste the following in to the bottom box where it says File name.
Basically you are manually telling the computer where exactly the Excel.exe is.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\EXCEL.EXE

It's very strange because if you look in that folder in Explorer, the Excel.exe is not there.
But yet if you reference it as if it is there, this solution works.

This solution also works for Excel 2013 but watch that you associate with a file such as:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\excel.exe
and not the .excelCNV.exe file (if present) which is to do with backward compatibility to legacy versions.


- - -

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1816121-excel-2016-opening-xls-problem

I have Excel 2016 and when I use File Explorer and browse to a .xls (Excel 97-2003 worksheet) and double-click, Excel 2016 opens up and display nothing but an empty worksheet.
But now if I am in Excel 2016, go to "Open other workbooks" and then "Browse" to .xls worksheet that I want, it will open up fine.

---

It is weird I tried all of the steps above, but the one that worked for some strange reason will this one from Toodamax.
I had Excel 2016 open and I went to file explorer and double-click on the file and it opened right up.
So then I closed Excel and went to File Explorer again and double-clicked on the file and it opened like it should.
So I tried several more .xls files and they are now all working.

TOODAMAX wrote:
Try opening Excel first with a blank worksheet or close the worksheet but leave the app up and then try to open from explorer...


---


Doing the "Quick Repair" to Microsoft Office as suggested by June C worked for me. Thanks

June-C wrote:
You might try going into Control Panel-->Programs and Features-->right click on the Office version-->select change-->Quick Repair
This happens occasionally with our folks too.



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shlackbaum
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Joined: 2019-02-12, 15:03 UTC

Re: Total Commander opens excel as empty file

Post by *shlackbaum »

Stefan2, thx a lot. I'll look into it.
Update: Interesting that word files TC opens just fine in word from office 365.
Still working on the issue - i guess ill just reinstall office 365 and make it office 2017 - 2019
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