Embedded Excel 2007 workbook in Word 2007 document won't open. "Excel is not installed" error.

Anonymous
2010-03-08T20:45:01+00:00

I've seen this same problem frequently on other message boards and there has never been a solution, so I'm hoping that Microsoft is aware of it (they should be) and can address it definitively.

I have a Word 2007 document with an embedded Excel 2007 spreadsheet.  When I attempt to open the spreadsheet I get the message: "The program used to create this object is Excel.  That program is not installed on your computer. To edit this object, you must install a program that can open the object.".  Excel is in fact installed.  If I have Excel closed when I attempt to open the embedded spreadsheet then Excel actually opens, but then it does not open the embedded workbook and Word immediately gives the above message after Excel opens.

This is the same problem as is addressed in KB article 960806, except that I do not have "SQL Server 2008 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007" installed

I have run MS Office Diagnostics and no errors were reported. 

I have "Repaired" the installation from add/remove programs.  After I did this the embedded workbook appeared as a picture in the document and I couldn't even attempt to open it.

I have tried deselecting "ignore DDE" in Excel Options > Advanced > General

I have tried converting the embedding object to a binary object and back again.

The embedded workbook is a macro-enabled workbook, I don't know if it also happens for non-macro-enabled workbooks.

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Anonymous
2012-02-11T04:22:08+00:00

Had the same issue; disabling Goodle Cloud Connect add-in in both Word and Excel solved it for me. It might help to try disabling all the installed add-ins.

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-02-10T19:40:11+00:00

    We are having this problem as well.  Windows XP/Office 2007 SP2.  Tried all the recommendations - no relief.  It is important to note that the spreadsheet is not saved separately but embedded.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-02-08T01:27:36+00:00

    hi Ruchi, thanks for the answer. but, still it doesn't work. at the very critical time of my assignment submission, i have the same problem with the same message -  "The program used to create this object is Excel.  That program is not installed on your computer. To edit this object, you must install a program that can open the object.". plz help me.

    Just wanted to keep this thread alive and report that I've been dealing with this problem on and off for months (and none of the popular long term fixes have done anything), and I'm still just using the "convert to binary" each-and-every-time use fix.

    Not sure who it was that originally prescribed the "convert to binary" method, but I'd like to ask them if it is supposed to give back an error of, "The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. Make sure the application is properly installed, and that it has not been deleted, moved, renamed, or blocked by policy". Or if this is maybe a clue to what is going on, and might result in somebody coming up with a real solution to this problem, because it seems strange to get that kind of error, but it then allows you to interact with the embedded object after.

    Thanks and best of luck to everybody out there having this issue.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-12-18T14:59:13+00:00

    hi Ruchi, thanks for the answer. but, still it doesn't work. at the very critical time of my assignment submission, i have the same problem with the same message -  "The program used to create this object is Excel.  That program is not installed on your computer. To edit this object, you must install a program that can open the object.". plz help me.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-11-07T21:20:31+00:00

    It's obvious that MS has not addressed this BUG!  I have had this problem with both Office 2007 and 2010 on Vista and Win 7. 

    The problem does not appear in Word 2003.  I also have not had the problem with a .doc (previous format) file and an embedded 2007 or 2010 Excel file.  It only seems to appear when using Word 2007 or 2010.

    Logic says this problem is linked to the new document format for Word.

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