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Unable to Set Excel '03 as Default vs. Excel '07

Proposed Answer Unable to Set Excel '03 as Default vs. Excel '07

  • Friday, February 26, 2010 12:42 PM
     
     
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    I have both Office 2003 and Office 2007 installed under Win 7 32 Pro. I prefer '03 to '07 but for reasons too lengthy to explain I have periodically gone back and forth from time to time since Office '07 rolled out - first under XP, then Vista, now Win 7.

    I recently set Excel '07 and Word '07 as default programs to open .xls and .doc files. After a couple of weeks I decided to go back to the '03 versions to open each file type by default. That worked fine for Word '03 just as it always has under either XP or Vista. Not so for Excel. No matter what I do short of uninstalling Office '07 altogether I cannot reset Excel '03 as default to open .xls files.

    Yes, I know where each version of Excel.exe resides. Yes, I know how to choose a default program to associate with different file types. Just for grins I set Word '03 as default to open .xls files. That worked but doesn't do me much good as I knew it wouldn't. I even renamed the '07 version of Excel.exe to Excel.XXX. That merely resulted in Excel '07 trying to reinstall after attempting to open an .xls file.

    So my question should be obvious. What can I do to reset Excel '03 as default for opening .xls (or whatever) files short of just uninstalling Office '07 altogether? Thanks.
     

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  • Friday, February 26, 2010 8:06 PM
     
     
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    Try click right on xls file, Properties - Open with - Change - Browse - Select Excel in Office11 folder.
     
  • Friday, February 26, 2010 10:22 PM
     
     
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    Try click right on xls file, Properties - Open with - Change - Browse - Select Excel in Office11 folder.

    Thanks but if you had read my post you might have noticed that I have already tried and am thoroughly familiar with this and other strategies. Thanks anyway.
     
  • Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:05 PM
     
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    Hi,

    start regedit - go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xls - backup this key and delete it

    - find key "xls_auto_file" (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file) > in this key you find CLSID ({xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx} > then you delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file a HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx}

    You can also delete this key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.xls\UserChoice]
    "Progid"="Applications\\excel.exe"

    With this steps you delete file association > then you can define your own app.
    • Proposed As Answer by cnlfelde Tuesday, April 06, 2010 3:34 PM
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  • Saturday, February 27, 2010 5:01 PM
     
     
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    Hi,

    start regedit - go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xls - backup this key and delete it

    - find key "xls_auto_file" (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file) > in this key you find CLSID ({xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx} > then you delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file a HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx}

    You can also delete this key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.xls\UserChoice]
    "Progid"="Applications\\excel.exe"

    With this steps you delete file association > then you can define your own app.
    Sorry, this doesn't work either. Whats more some of your suggested registry entries don't exist (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file) or don't exist as specified (...=Applications\\excel.exe). Thanks for trying but no cigar for you. 
     
  • Monday, March 01, 2010 7:12 PM
     
     
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    Anyone else have any ideas?
     
  • Tuesday, March 02, 2010 12:25 PM
     
     
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    The two Word versions share some registry entries, including file association, so you need to stop Word 2007 from grabbing the entries when it starts. See http://www.gmayor.com/Toolbars_in_word_2007.htm

    Hope it help..

    My problem has nothing to do with Word, toolbars with Word or anything at all with Word.
     
  • Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:50 AM
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    Hi,

     

    Regarding this issue, I would like suggest your try the following:

     

    You receive a "File Not Found" error message in Excel when you open a file by double-clicking the file name

     

    A file does not open in the program that you expect when you try to open the file in Office

     

    Considering this issue is related to Microsoft Office, if the issue persists, it is recommended that you go to Microsoft Office Forum for further investigation:

     

    Microsoft Office Forums

     

    Hope this helps. Thanks.

     

     

    Nicholas Li - MSFT
     
  • Thursday, March 04, 2010 6:04 PM
     
     
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    Have you had any luck with this issue?  I'm experiencing the exact same thing, and I'm frustrated beyond belief with the inability to assign Excel '03 as the default application for xls files.
     
  • Thursday, March 04, 2010 9:47 PM
     
     
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    CanuckFan - No luck. Just within the last couple of hours I've uninstalled Office '07. Once uninstalled I then reinstalled in hopes that '07 would have released it's grip as default. No good. So I uninstalled '07 again just a minute ago.

    The strange thing is that I could set either one to default and go back and forth setting either one as default until recently. So I imagine some update hosed that as an undesired side effect. I'm tired of screwing with it. The few responses I've gotten here to the problem have been well intended but of no real help and lead me to believe that it's a little known problem at this point.

    If MS were to pay me for the trouble I'd pursue it further but I've already wasted enough time. If I want to use Office '07 I'll just use another machine. As I said earlier, I really don't like '07 anyway and likely never will. The Office 2010 beta looks like more of the same. I installed it and then uninstalled after little use. MS keeps trying to reinvent what doesn't need reinventing just so it will be different and throw users off the track of what they've grown accustomed to while telling us how great it is. Of course I imagine most of we lowly end users know exactly why they do it too.
     
  • Monday, March 08, 2010 11:05 AM
     
     
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    MODERATORS

    I noticed this morning that this thread had been relabled as a "general discussion" vs. an unresolved question. IT is STILL an unresolved question. If and when it becomes RESOLVED I will mark it as such. Thank you.
     
  • Tuesday, March 09, 2010 2:28 AM
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    Hi,

     

    Since this question is related to Microsoft Office, I still recommended you go to Microsoft Office Forum. Hope you will get some constructive suggestions there.

     

    Thanks.

    Nicholas Li - MSFT
     
  • Tuesday, March 09, 2010 6:52 AM
     
     
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    Hi, I think, that this app can do it:

    http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download

    Start this app, check Edit file type association - Start File type Doctor - then go to xls and xlsx file and edit > you can set full path to Excel, not only Excel.exe..

    hope it help
     
  • Tuesday, March 09, 2010 10:28 AM
     
     
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    Hi,

     

    Since this question is related to Microsoft Office, I still recommended you go to Microsoft Office Forum. Hope you will get some constructive suggestions there.

     

    Thanks.

    Nicholas Li - MSFT

    The question is indeed related to MS Office but in my opinion is much more directly related to the os. It is within Win 7 that program defaults/file associations are set, not MS Office.

    There is a thread in this forum detailing what I believe is a related problem re: failure to properly set program defaults that does NOT concern MS Office - http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproappcompat/thread/72d2724e-d9d0-4fe3-9977-340950ee518a

     
  • Tuesday, March 09, 2010 10:29 AM
     
     
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    Hi, I think, that this app can do it:

    http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download

    Start this app, check Edit file type association - Start File type Doctor - then go to xls and xlsx file and edit > you can set full path to Excel, not only Excel.exe..

    hope it help

    Thanks. When time allows I'll reinstall Office '07 on the machine in question and test the app.
     
  • Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:21 PM
     
     
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    Hi, I think, that this app can do it:

    http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download

    Start this app, check Edit file type association - Start File type Doctor - then go to xls and xlsx file and edit > you can set full path to Excel, not only Excel.exe..

    hope it help

    I just reinstalled MS Office '07 after having installed Creative Powertools. Unfortunately your suggested workaround to the problem didn't work either. Excel '07 still insists on being default. Curously though, after using Powertools to edit the path to the desired default .exe, Excel '03 did appear as a choice in the `open with' dialogue when right clicking an .xls file. Unfortunately the file still opens with Excel '07 regardless.

    Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll explore Powertools for other uses now that I've got it.
     
  • Sunday, March 14, 2010 8:33 AM
     
     
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    Bump. Bug is still unresolved.
     
  • Tuesday, April 06, 2010 3:41 PM
     
     
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    I was having a similar problem.  I was testing a theory and set .xls to open in Outlook (right-clicked .xls file and set Outlook to open).  That caused all .xls files to open in Outlook, and attach the .xls file to the email.  When I tried to change the program back, the option for "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" was greyed out.  I could right click any .xls file and choose "Open With" and I could select Excel 2007, but I had to do that for every .xls file, every time I wanted to open it.

    I tried Jiri Januta's suggestion with regedit:


    start regedit - go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xls - backup this key and delete it

    - find key "xls_auto_file" (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file) > in this key you find CLSID ({xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx} > then you delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls_auto_file a HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx}

    You can also delete this key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.xls\UserChoice]
    "Progid"="Applications\\excel.exe"

    With this steps you delete file association > then you can define your own app.

    I also did not find xls_auto_file, but did the first step and last step and the option for "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" was not greyed out anymore.  It resolved my issue.  Thanks Jiri.

     
  • Monday, November 01, 2010 5:20 AM
     
     
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    Used a really ham handed way of fixing this annoyance. Renamed the office 2007 Excel.exe such that xls lost its association and then manually pointed to office 2003 Excel.exe. Then changed back office 2007 Excel.exe to original name.
     
  • Friday, November 12, 2010 1:25 AM
     
     
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    I ran into a similar issue with Excel 2007 and 2010 installed on the same system. Excel files would always open in 2007 and the only way I could open them in 2010 is by choosing File>Open within 2010. I've done registry tweaks, file associations changes, etc. Nothing worked.

    What did fix the issue was by renaming the Excel.exe file in the Office12 folder to Excel54.exe (any other name will work). Try to open the file by double clicking on it. My system was attempting to repair the files. I clicked cancel right away. Then right click the file and choose open with and drill down to the Office14 folder and choose excel (in your case go to the correct office folder).

    Such a simple fix worked like a charm. I almost smacked myself with how simple it is. The only thing I can think of is different versions of Office may point to similar registry entries. But in the file association window every time before I did this fix it only showed the single 2007 association. Never a second for when I manually choose 2010.

    I hope this made some sense. Just posted after work from a long day. Good luck and I hope this resolves the problem.

     
  • Thursday, January 13, 2011 3:34 AM
     
     
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    Hooray!  This worked for me too.  I had exactly the same problem, except I still have an old copy of Office 2000 which I installed on my wife's new netbook, which had come preloaded with a unactivated copy of Excel 2007.  Yes I could have uninstalled the whole thing, but maybe I want it around to activate it and have a look at it later.  Meanwhile, how the ____ do I get it to bring up Excel 2000 (which I'm quite happy with) when I click on a xls file? 

    Like the original poster, I am a fairly knowledgeable, even professional geek, and I tried everything I could think of that made sense but got nowhere until I followed your instructions -- renaming the Excel 2007 executable and then canceling whatever it was it was trying to do when it couldn't find it.  Then right click and choose "Open with" and "Choose program" and browse to the exe you want -- in my case from Excel 2000 -- and don't forget to check "always use the selected program to open this kind of file." It works.  Thanks very much!