Can't open files more than 8 mb

[d0110]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel I just got a MacBook Pro and I'm having problems opening up Excel files which are larger than 8 mb. I have no problems opening up those files in any other PCs and laptops. I just can't seem to open them up in any MacBooks which have Office. The files were created using Office 2003 and there are no virus nor are the files in need of repair.

The preview would appear, as with the progress bar, but once the progress goes up to three fourths of the way, nothing. I've tried to open them up from the Finder and also from Excel file open, nothing. I've updated my Mac OS X to 10.6.3 and my Office for Mac 2008 to version 12.2.4. and still I can't open up files larger than 8 mb.

Please help. I badly need those files for work and I've done nothing for the past two weeks since I got the MacBook Pro but try to open up my files and read this forum trying to find an answer.

 

[John McGhie]

What's IN those files? Which format are they in?

The condition you're getting is often due to incompatible graphics that
can't be converted on the Mac.

You're correct: file "size" has little to do with it: Excel will open a 140
MB .xlsx file (slowly!) if there are no surprises in it...

Hope this helps

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel
I just got a MacBook Pro and I'm having problems opening up Excel files which
are larger than 8 mb. I have no problems opening up those files in any other
PCs and laptops. I just can't seem to open them up in any MacBooks which have
Office. The files were created using Office 2003 and there are no virus nor
are the files in need of repair.

The preview would appear, as with the progress bar, but once the progress goes
up to three fourths of the way, nothing. I've tried to open them up from the
Finder and also from Excel file open, nothing. I've updated my Mac OS X to
10.6.3 and my Office for Mac 2008 to version 12.2.4. and still I can't open up
files larger than 8 mb.

Please help. I badly need those files for work and I've done nothing for the
past two weeks since I got the MacBook Pro but try to open up my files and
read this forum trying to find an answer.

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[d0110]

First off, thanks for your reply.

I just realized you're completely right with the file size not being an issue - I tried to open up a copy of that same file, just smaller and it still wouldn't open. I was able to open up a different type of file but bigger in size and it opened up with no problems. The excel files are all in .xls

There are no graphics nor charts in those files I couldn't open. Just long formulas and some of those formulas have links but they're links to another worksheet within the spreadsheet/file, not to another spreadsheet/file. How would I go about finding out if there is a compatibility issue with the formulas? And if it is a compatibility issue with the formulas, how can I fix it or open up my files without having to rebuild these files?

 

[John McGhie]

I don't think it's the formulas (almost certainly NOT the formulas...)

It may be that Office 2003 is not fully up-to-date with service packs.
There was a bug in the first versions of Excel 2003 that makes its sheets
impossible for Mac Office to read. So run Microsoft Update on the PC and
keep at it until there are no further updates offered (it puts them in in a
sequence, you won't see a later one until you have an earlier one
installed...)

It may be that the sheet has been corrupted in the downgrade to .xls. Try
re-saving it as .xlsx and see if that works. If not, try .xlsb.

If you have Excel 2007 on the PC (and it's fully updated!) try re-saving in
..xlsx out of that.

My next suspect would be charts, then external references.

Make a copy of the workbook and remove all the charts and try again. Then
remove all the references and try again.

If it doesn't fix it, we'll have to get serious with it.

Hope this helps

First off, thanks for your reply.

I just realized you're completely right with the file size not being an issue
- I tried to open up a copy of that same file, just smaller and it still
wouldn't open. I was able to open up a different type of file but bigger in
size and it opened up with no problems. The excel files are all in .xls

There are no graphics nor charts in those files I couldn't open. Just long
formulas and some of those formulas have links but they're links to another
worksheet within the spreadsheet/file, not to another spreadsheet/file. How
would I go about finding out if there is a compatibility issue with the
formulas? And if it is a compatibility issue with the formulas, how can I fix
it or open up my files without having to rebuild these files?

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[d0110]

Hi again, John.

Okay...so...I updated the Office 2003, the XP and on another computer, I updated the Office 2007 and the XP there too. Just for added measure, I also made sure that the Office 2003 on a Windows 7 was updated. Everything was fine. I could open up my files in question and was able to save them in .xlsx and .xls (made copies so I could compare) on both Office 2003 and 2007. When I tried opening them all up on the Office 2008, I got the message saying the file could not be opened as it may be damaged or the modified from the original copy.

From my frustration, I thought about just using parallels and ditching Office 2008. I ended up trying to rebuild. I was able to open up a copy of the file in question from years back (one of the ones I had built the files I'm trying to open now). I copied a formula from the old file and was able to "re-create" the file. I was happily copy-pasting the formulas and all of a sudden, the formulas wouldn't paste anymore.

For example:
I was able to copy the formulas on row 13, columns S to BX (with links to another worksheet on the same workbook). Formula being, for example: {=SUM(IF(B13='March 2010'!$A$5:$A$5000,IF($S$6='March 2010'!$C$5:$C$5000,'March 2010'!$F$5:$F$5000,0)))). The series of formulas from column S ($S$6) going all the way to BX ($BX$6).
I needed this series of formula (is this an array??) to go be pasted all the way from row 13 to row 900. I was able to paste it, say from row 13 down to row 471, column BA, then it just stopped and wouldn't paste anymore unless I deleted several columns.

Is there something wrong with what I'm doing? It was able to do all this and more in Excel 2003...(say instead of up to just row 5000 in the formula, it was even up to row 25000, I think. Also from row 13 to row 900.)

Oh, for additional info, in case you need it to help me figure this out, the "{" and "}" only shows up in the formula builder/bar and without it, it's not going to give me any result.

Or should I really just go Parallels and not use Office 2008???

 

[John McGhie]

Hmmmm...

Well, your goal would be to get your spreadsheet working again as quickly as
possible. For that, I would recommend Parallels and Office 2010 (or 2007).

I use Parallels, and it's a good combination if you have the power to run it
on your Mac. Everything works exactly as it would on a physical PC. I do
indeed have these installed on this elderly MacBook, which is an exercise in
patience, but gets me out of trouble at customer sites

If you have to buy things, buy Office 2007 first and try it out in Crossover
for Mac. Office 2007 has "Bronze" support, which means "Works, with bugs,
save early, save often." If it works well enough for your purposes, it will
be a lot faster than under Parallels on the same hardware, and you avoid the
cost of Parallels and Windows.

As to your issue with Office 2008, both XinXin an I would be fascinated to
see what it is, if you would be good enough to email one of us a sample of
the bad one.

Cheers

Hi again, John.

Okay...so...I updated the Office 2003, the XP and on another computer, I
updated the Office 2007 and the XP there too. Just for added measure, I also
made sure that the Office 2003 on a Windows 7 was updated. Everything was
fine. I could open up my files in question and was able to save them in .xlsx
and .xls (made copies so I could compare) on both Office 2003 and 2007. When
I tried opening them all up on the Office 2008, I got the message saying the
file could not be opened as it may be damaged or the modified from the
original copy.

From my frustration, I thought about just using parallels and ditching Office
2008. I ended up trying to rebuild. I was able to open up a copy of the file
in question from years back (one of the ones I had built the files I'm trying
to open now). I copied a formula from the old file and was able to
"re-create" the file. I was happily copy-pasting the formulas and all of a
sudden, the formulas wouldn't paste anymore.

For example:
I was able to copy the formulas on row 13, columns S to BX (with links to
another worksheet on the same workbook). Formula being, for example:
{=SUM(IF(B13='March 2010'!$A$5:$A$5000,IF($S$6='March
2010'!$C$5:$C$5000,'March 2010'!$F$5:$F$5000,0)))). The series of formulas
from column S ($S$6) going all the way to BX ($BX$6).
I needed this series of formula (is this an array??) to go be pasted all the
way from row 13 to row 900. I was able to paste it, say from row 13 down to
row 471, column BA, then it just stopped and wouldn't paste anymore unless I
deleted several columns.

Is there something wrong with what I'm doing? It was able to do all this and
more in Excel 2003...(say instead of up to just row 5000 in the formula, it
was even up to row 25000, I think. Also from row 13 to row 900.)

Oh, for additional info, in case you need it to help me figure this out, the
"{" and "}" only shows up in the formula builder/bar and without it, it's not
going to give me any result.

Or should I really just go Parallels and not use Office 2008???

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!