Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.

I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:31:01 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

[repeat as the system seems to think I signed out even though I didn't]
This is a first for me also - I've never had anyone come to me with a
complaint that all their .xls files suddenly not only changed names to .xlr
or that in doing so the actual format of the file was changed from Excel to
Works format.

Either someone went to a great deal of effort to do that on the machine (is
Microsoft Works even installed on it??) -- or else the system may be in need
of some serious anti-virus scans to make sure that it was not so much a
'someone' as a 'something' that made these changes.


"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.

I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:31:01 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

Good point Jerry.

A good scan may turn something up.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:01:01 -0800, JLatham <HelpFrom @
Jlathamsite.com.(removethis) wrote:

[repeat as the system seems to think I signed out even though I didn't]
This is a first for me also - I've never had anyone come to me with a
complaint that all their .xls files suddenly not only changed names to .xlr
or that in doing so the actual format of the file was changed from Excel to
Works format.

Either someone went to a great deal of effort to do that on the machine (is
Microsoft Works even installed on it??) -- or else the system may be in need
of some serious anti-virus scans to make sure that it was not so much a
'someone' as a 'something' that made these changes.


"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.

I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:31:01 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

Thnaks to both of you for the input. I'll run a scan.

I don't find Microsoft Works even loaded on this laptop. I guess I will
have to have the Excel reloaded to be able to open files directly from the
double click on Explorer. It can be fixed, just not as easily as I had hoped.

Thanks again.

mmxlr

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Good point Jerry.

A good scan may turn something up.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:01:01 -0800, JLatham <HelpFrom @
Jlathamsite.com.(removethis) wrote:

[repeat as the system seems to think I signed out even though I didn't]
This is a first for me also - I've never had anyone come to me with a
complaint that all their .xls files suddenly not only changed names to .xlr
or that in doing so the actual format of the file was changed from Excel to
Works format.

Either someone went to a great deal of effort to do that on the machine (is
Microsoft Works even installed on it??) -- or else the system may be in need
of some serious anti-virus scans to make sure that it was not so much a
'someone' as a 'something' that made these changes.


"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.

I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:31:01 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.

Try this before reloading Excel.

Close Excel first and On the Windows Taskbar

1) StartRun "excel.exe /unregserver"(no quotes)OK.
2) StartRun "excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)OK.
See the space between exe and /regserver

You might have to designate a full path to excel.exe.
In that case StartRun "C:\yourpath\excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)OK.

Let the installer go through its routine.


Gord



On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 09:12:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Thnaks to both of you for the input. I'll run a scan.

I don't find Microsoft Works even loaded on this laptop. I guess I will
have to have the Excel reloaded to be able to open files directly from the
double click on Explorer. It can be fixed, just not as easily as I had hoped.

Thanks again.

mmxlr

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Good point Jerry.

A good scan may turn something up.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:01:01 -0800, JLatham <HelpFrom @
Jlathamsite.com.(removethis) wrote:

[repeat as the system seems to think I signed out even though I didn't]
This is a first for me also - I've never had anyone come to me with a
complaint that all their .xls files suddenly not only changed names to .xlr
or that in doing so the actual format of the file was changed from Excel to
Works format.

Either someone went to a great deal of effort to do that on the machine (is
Microsoft Works even installed on it??) -- or else the system may be in need
of some serious anti-virus scans to make sure that it was not so much a
'someone' as a 'something' that made these changes.


"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Looks like open Excel then open each file and save as is a good option.

I have never seen this phenomenon so don't know where else to start.


Gord

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:31:01 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

If I open Excel first I can open the file, but it opens as read only. I can
save as and get the file back to an Excel file. BUT...If I don't open excel
first and just try to open the newly saved file from the Explore I get a
shell of Excel, but no information, no gird lines, no nothing.

When I go to Explore and right click on the .xlr and go to open with, it
first shows Microsoft Office Word.



"Gord Dibben" wrote:

*.xlr extension is for Microsoft Works files.

What happens when you try to open one of these from inside Excel?

From Windows Explorer double-click?

Error message or?

It would be my assumption that the messer opened your *.xls files in MS Works
and saved them as such.

Select one of these files and right-click "Open With".

What application is top of the list?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:10:00 -0800, mmxlr
wrote:

Someone "messed" with my computer. Now all of my Excel files have an .xlr
extension. What is this and how do I get them back to .xls files. I am
using Excel 2003 on Windows XP. Please help.