xlxs from Windows Office 2007 to Mac Office 2008

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Having problems opening an xlxs file generated in Windows Office 2007 with Mac Office 2008. Mac Office keeps telling me that the file is corrupt. I can open the file just fine on my Windows machine in Office 2007....no dice on the Mac.

However, if I Save As a regular .xls file, it works OK. I have many files that I need to use on my Mac that were generated in Windows Office 2007. Aside from opening all those files and re-saving them, is there anything else (easier) that can be done? Can't they natively open in Mac Office 2008?
 
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If you try saving in .xls in Preferences may make a difference.
 
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If you try saving in .xls in Preferences may make a difference.
Ok...can't even open the files in Mac Office. I get a "File may be corrupt" error message.
 

chscag

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Try saving the Excel files using the Office 2003 document format rather than the newer Office 2007. In other words, use compatibility mode when saving Office files on your Win machine. They should then open and save OK in Mac Office 2008 if no macros are contained within the documents.

(Windows Office 2007 document files containing macros will not display correctly and\or sometimes refuse to open in Mac Office 2008.) Mac Office 2008 sadly does not support macros.

Regards.
 
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Try saving the Excel files using the Office 2003 document format rather than the newer Office 2007. In other words, use compatibility mode when saving Office files on your Win machine. They should then open and save OK in Mac Office 2008 if no macros are contained within the documents.

(Windows Office 2007 document files containing macros will not display correctly and\or sometimes refuse to open in Mac Office 2008.) Mac Office 2008 sadly does not support macros.

Regards.
I've re-saved a few in the regular xls format and it seems to be fine. I do suspect that it might have something to do with macros or VB scripts. But whay would those run fine in xls and not xlsx? The other delima is I have hundreds of files, I can't be going though all of them and re-saving them. That's way too much effort...
 
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Office 2008 doesnt support VBS which a lot of the new files have in the background - its typical M$ not making things compatable. Whats in the Ss if you dont mind me asking? is there anything"funky"?
 

chscag

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I've re-saved a few in the regular xls format and it seems to be fine. I do suspect that it might have something to do with macros or VB scripts. But whay would those run fine in xls and not xlsx? The other delima is I have hundreds of files, I can't be going though all of them and re-saving them. That's way too much effort...

Microsoft has promised the inclusion of VBS in the next major update to Mac Office but for folks like yourself that's not an answer. The only other thing I can suggest is to install Windows on your Mac. You can do it via Boot Camp or by using virtual software (Parallels, Fusion). I have both Mac Office 2008 and Win Office 2007 and that's what I have done.

As for Excel files which contain scripts (formulas, etc.) and run OK in compatibility mode, I suspect Mac Office 2008 ignores the VBS and presses on. However, when the xml document format is chosen, it can not ignore the scripts because it also has to do the conversion.

If you need assistance setting up Windows on your machine, you'll find lots of help by searching the forum or asking.

Regards.
 
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Do you have the latest updates to Office '08?
Did you try opening it with Open Office?

no, and that's not a solution either. Not interested in another office suite.

Well, the operative word was "try." It might prove useful for diagnosing the issue.
(And if it did work, you might well be better off developing an interest in the functional suite.)
 
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Well...I have some further updates if anyone is willing to hear them...

I tried to copy the files to a USB stick and open them again (thinking that there's a network sharing issue at play)...no luck, same error.
So then I logged onto the Windows machine from my other Mac that has Apple Numbers. It was able to open the older revision of the file from several months back and the same file, with the updated data, that is in question. Numbers was able to open it. Both files generates an error report but two error items were different. On the file in question, the following error appeared:
"Hyperlinks within the notebooks and hyperlinks to other files aren't supported and were removed"
There was also a font missing, which I didn't think would cause file not to open.

Could this be the source of my problems with the xlsx files? If so, what to do from here (other than open all in Numbers)??
 
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xlsx document

I am also having the same problem. It is a file I downloaded from a class that I am taking, but when I open it, it adds the letters cpgz after the .xlsx and when I open in in Excel...its all jibberish.

Please help as I need this for the class. I have sent a support ticket to tech support responsible for the class, but to no avail. Its been 2 weeks now!
I am using 10.4.11 and Microsoft 2004 for Mac
 
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dpitts, the cpgz extension might indicate a compressed file. You can try expanding it by running a file on your computer located in the System/Library/CoreServices/ directory called BOMArchiveHelper.app

Hope that works!
 

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