Opening excel file directly is very slow

I think I have the answer!  I found it here: 

http://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/11760-excel-files-open-very-slowly-4.html

Cortana is the culprit!  After trying all of the above suggested fixes (and none working), this worked for me.

1.  Open the Cortana app

2.  In Settings, I turned off the top slider for "suggestions, ideas, etc." but left the lower one on, "search online..."

3.  In Task Manager, right click and end the Cortana process.  It will open right back up but doesn't seem to affect anything. 

4.  Excel files open again quickly!!

If you go to Task Manager before doing any of the above and double click an Excel file, you will see a Cortana Background Task Host begin when you double click an Excel file.  Why that happens is beyond me but that slows things down.  Follow steps 1-4 and that Task Host does not start anymore.

Now for Microsoft to fix it...

I am having same problem occur after upgrading from Win8.1 to Win10.

1.  Only .xlsx files clicked directly have the delay
2.  Running Excel.exe is instant
3.  Running a manually created shortcut to an .xlsx file has the delay
4.  Running a manually created shortcut like "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\EXCEL.EXE" C:\file.xlsx has no delay because it's running Excel first with the file as a parameter.
5.  No other apps are affected.
6.  The shell open command in the registry for Excel is curious:

In the registry editor it looks like this:

zqP^V5!!!!4!!!!MKKSkEXCELFiles>Of1RD?I9b9j[2hL]KhO& /dde

Exported it looks like this:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.12\shell\Open\command]

@=""C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\EXCEL.EXE" /dde"

"command"=hex(7):7a,00,71,00,50,00,5e,00,56,00,35,00,21,00,21,00,21,00,21,00,\

  34,00,21,00,21,00,21,00,21,00,4d,00,4b,00,4b,00,53,00,6b,00,45,00,58,00,43,\

  00,45,00,4c,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,3e,00,4f,00,66,00,31,00,52,00,\

  44,00,3f,00,49,00,39,00,62,00,39,00,6a,00,5b,00,32,00,68,00,4c,00,5d,00,4b,\

  00,68,00,4f,00,26,00,20,00,2f,00,64,00,64,00,65,00,00,00,00,00

I believe it is structured that way as part of SPP to help validate the Office license in some way.   Also:

7.  Running excel with either method spams the Application Log with a ton of entries like this (newest to oldest) which vary slightly depending on whether it randomly decides to restart the rules engine:

Initialization status for service objects.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppwinob.dll, msft:spp/windowsfunctionality/agent/7.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:rm/algorithm/inherited/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:rm/algorithm/phone/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:rm/algorithm/pkey/detect, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:spp/ActionScheduler/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:spp/TaskScheduler/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:spp/statecollector/pkey, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:spp/volume/services/kms/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppobjs.dll, msft:spp/volume/services/kms/activationinfo/1.0, 0x00000000, 0x00000000

The Software Protection service is starting.

Parameters:caller=EXCEL.EXE

The Software Protection service has stopped.

Successfully scheduled Software Protection service for re-start at 2115-07-26T03:19:56Z. Reason: RulesEngine.

The Software Protection service has started.

10.0.10240.16384

The Software Protection service has completed licensing status check.

Application Id=55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f

Licensing Status=

1: 040fa323-92b1-4baf-97a2-5b67feaefddb, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

2: 0724cb7d-3437-4cb7-93cb-830375d0079d, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

3: 0cdc4d08-6df6-4eb4-b5b4-a373c3e351e7, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

4: 221a02da-e2a1-4b75-864c-0a4410a33fdf, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

5: 2c293c26-a45a-4a2a-a350-c69a67097529, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

6: 2de67392-b7a7-462a-b1ca-108dd189f588, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

7: 377333b1-8b5d-48d6-9679-1225c872d37c, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

8: 3df374ef-d444-4494-a5a1-4b0d9fd0e203, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

9: 49cd895b-53b2-4dc4-a5f7-b18aa019ad37, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

10: 4de7cb65-cdf1-4de9-8ae8-e3cce27b9f2c, 1, 1 [(0 )(1 )(2 [0x00000000, 1, 0], [(?)( 1 0x00000000)(?)(?)(?)(?)( 10 0x00000000 msft:rm/algorithm/flags/1.0)(?)])(3 )]

11: 613d217f-7f13-4268-9907-1662339531cd, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

12: 7a802526-4c94-4bd1-ba14-835a1aca2120, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

13: b0773a15-df3a-4312-9ad2-83d69648e356, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

14: bbc56067-37f8-49dd-87b2-a418a9ba130a, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

15: bd3762d7-270d-4760-8fb3-d829ca45278a, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

16: c082c31b-2c4f-4e07-94d7-9181fa802c4b, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

17: c86d5194-4840-4dae-9c1c-0301003a5ab0, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

18: d6eadb3b-5ca8-4a6b-986e-35b550756111, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

19: ef51e000-2659-4f25-8345-3de70a9cf4c4, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

20: fe74f55b-0338-41d6-b267-4a201abe7285, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

21: 4a8149bb-7d61-49f4-8822-82c7bf88d64b, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

22: ec67814b-30e6-4a50-bf7b-d55daf729d1e, 1, 0 [(0 [0xC004F014, 0, 0], [(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)(?)])(1 )(2 )(3 )]

I think SPP is broken for Excel.

I'm having the same issue with Excel 2013 and Win 10. Opening Excel files local or networked take anywhere from 15-60 seconds. Opening just Excel is instant. Opening Word or PowerPoint is instant.

I am also on a Surface Pro 3.

I tried a quick and full repair of Office 2013.  No help.  Defragged.  No help.  Changed default printer.  No difference.  Turned anti-virus off.  No help.