Odd Behavior when Opening a Shared File with a Shortcut

Chris wrote about a problem he was having with one of the computers in his network. Each computer on the network has a shortcut icon on the desktop. Double-clicking on the icon opens a shared workbook, stored on the file server. Everything works fine, except with one computer. Whenever that user clicks on the shortcut, the workbook does not open up as a shared file. Instead, it automatically does a "save as" and renames the file with the same name and a 1 behind the original name.

If you've double-checked the problem shortcut, to make sure it uses the same settings as the successful shortcuts, then there are only a couple of things that could be causing the problem.

First, you may want to check the errant system to make sure that the copy of Excel on that system is not starting up any add-ins or macros that may be causing the problem. A quick check of the Personal.xls file and the Startup folder should accomplish this task. If you disable the add-ins, and the problem goes away, then you can figure out what to do next.

The other possible cause is that the errant system is somehow treating the workbook as if it is a workbook template. This could indicate a problem with the way that Excel is registered on the system. From the command line, use the following command:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Excel.exe" /unregserver

The quotes are necessary, but you may need to change the path so it reflects the location of the Excel.exe file on your system. The /unregserver switch "unhooks" all the references to Excel in Windows. You should then, immediately, use the following command:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Excel.exe" /regserver

This command causes Excel to rewrite all its Registry keys and to reassociate itself with workbook, chart, and template files.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2470) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.