excel 2013 can't open old files

Anonymous
2013-03-04T04:59:35+00:00

I got windows office 2013 and installed it on my windows 7 laptop.  I have old office 2007 excel files that I can't open, and some that will only open when I go through the program and search for them. After loading some files I tried to save them in the new format. But even after that I can't open the file. I tried coping and pasting the info, again with no sucess. what can I do to fix this.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-09-19T16:25:44+00:00

    I have to open the Excel program or Word program first before I open my document.  If I don't, it won't  open properly.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-09-19T18:51:17+00:00

    Hello All,

    1. What is the type of the saved attachment files?
    2. Are you able to open other files created from Excel 2013 properly?
    3. Have you followed the file association steps provided in my previous post?

    Reply with required details and we would assist further.

    Thank you.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-09-30T15:56:18+00:00

    I am having the same problems!  All my old documents are still in 2007 and when I try to open a word or excel document I get the message "There was a problem sending the command to the program".  It will then open the file in compatibility mode "read only".  If I go into Excel 2013 or Word 2013 and find the file and open it from there, it will open properly, but then does not save in 2013.  So I have the same problem, the next time I open it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-10-01T18:44:07+00:00

    Thank you for getting back to us.

    This problem may occur if the Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) setting in Excel is selected.

    I would suggest you to run the fix it available in this article or follow the steps in the section ‘Let me fix it myself’:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/211494

    For Word 2013 issue, ensure Word is not running in Compatibility mode using the following steps provided below and check if that helps to resolve the issue: 

    a. Go to the location,

    In 32 bit Operating system,

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\Office 15

    In 64 bit Operating system,

    C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 15

    C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 15\root\Office 15

    b. Right click on winword.exe>Properties.

    c. Click on Compatibility tab, uncheck the box ‘Run this program in compatibility mode’.

    d. Click on Apply and click on ok.

    Let us know the results to assist you further.

    Thank you.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-10-01T20:07:32+00:00

    This did not work.  I ran the fixit from the article you linked, but it did not fix the problem.  I tried the fixit for me, and also tried the manual fix.  I still get the same message.

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
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