[dclarke]

Good morning Geeks - and HELLLP!

My problem - Excel won't run, it claims two files are being locked by another user.

I may have screwed up, so a brief history:

I have windows XP + Office 2000.

I have never been able to click a spreadsheet and get Excel to open from the C drive, for some reason it wants me to load the Office CD, so in the past I've opened Excel from the C drive then opened the spreadsheet.

I hamfistedly tried to cure this by going into Excel's preferences where I saw an empty box for an alternative startup location (I think it said) so I blithely banged in C:\program files\microsoft office\office in the hope that the system would go there to find Excel.

From that time on, Excel refuses to run. When I try to start it I get two messages, one is that excel9.olb is locked for editing by another user, then a second says xl8galry.xls is locked, then Excel closes.

At someone's suggestion I tried deleting all tmp files, there were some that the system couldn't delete, the problem remained.

I have just re-installed Mcrosoft Office, but this hasn't fixed the problem. I am now up the proverbial [bleep] creek without a paddle, can someone help me???

Thanks - Dave Clarke

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As long as you have the Office CD's, try going to add / remove then click change for Office, if you get 3 options, go with add or remove features, then clear tick for excel, then next and so on. Use search, for the two files you list, include hidden files, delete both files but leave them in the recycle bin. Return to add / remove, Office, change, add or remove features, if you get customize content box, tick that so you can add most things to run all from computer if you have the room, replace tick for excel, click next and so on. See what Excel does.

[Retired Tech]

As long as you have the Office CD's, try going to add / remove then click change for Office, if you get 3 options, go with add or remove features, then clear tick for excel, then next and so on. Use search, for the two files you list, include hidden files, delete both files but leave them in the recycle bin. Return to add / remove, Office, change, add or remove features, if you get customize content box, tick that so you can add most things to run all from computer if you have the room, replace tick for excel, click next and so on. See what Excel does.

[dclarke]

As long as you have the Office CD's, try going to add / remove then click change for Office, if you get 3 options, go with add or remove features, then clear tick for excel, then next and so on.

Hi Keith.

I followed your instructions up to and including add or remove features, but what I then see is a kind of tree structure with MS Office at the top, and the various programs listed underneath, all with those + or - expand buttons. I don't see any ticks, so I am stuck on the bit where you say clear the tick for excel. Also not sure what you mean by then next and so on - do you mean clear the ticks for all the MS Office programs?

Thanks, Dave

[Retired Tech]

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That's how it should go for removing Excel

When you get to putting it back, choose add or remove features then select cutomize installation, replace tick for Excel then check for yellow 1 symbols, click those and select run all from computer

[Retired Tech]

You just need to remove tick for Excel then press update, after it updates click OK then remove the files then put excel back

[dclarke]

Keith, these are the screens I get, they're different from yours. It's not clear to me how I check these options to remove Excel

[Retired Tech]

Tick the x not available then update now

Edited by Keith, 05 May 2005 - 09:25 AM.

[dclarke]

Keith

I removed Excel, did a search, found xl8alry.xls and deleted it, but could not find excel9.olb.

I tried reinstalling Excel as you suggested, checking the Run All From My Computer and the yellow 1 (Installed on First Use) options but Excel didn't re-install. I repeated it but with unchecked yellow 1 and Excel installed. (By the way, at no time did I get a customize option, I only saw the two screens I printed above).

Excel re-installed, but it still won't work I'm afraid, I get the message that excel9.olb is locked by another user and when I close that message window Excel closes down.

Edited by dclarke, 05 May 2005 - 10:32 AM.

[Retired Tech]

When you ran search, did you click more advanced options and include search system folders and search hidden files and folders

[Retired Tech]

Hello Jake,

I'm right out of Office 2000 pics, sorry.

Keith

[dclarke]

When you ran search, did you click more advanced options and include search system folders and search hidden files and folders

I'm sure I did, but I'll tell you what, I'll remove ecxel and run the search again, then get back to you.

[dclarke]

Keith, I removed Excel, ran a search including search system folders and search hidden files and folders and the file was not found. I reinstalled Excel and found the file. I just tried opening Excel again - same error.

[Retired Tech]

Can you rename the file

Edited by Keith, 05 May 2005 - 11:58 AM.

[dclarke]

Yes - so I renamed it Keith.olb