The information in this article applies to:
SUMMARYThere are several methods that you can use to recover information from damaged or corrupted files. This article discusses those methods and points you to other Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that discuss the methods in greater detail.
Methods for Recovering Data in Corrupted Microsoft Excel Files
MORE INFORMATIONUsing External References to Recover DataThe most common method to recover information from a damaged file is to extract the values from the file by using external references to link to the file. The file structure must be complete; otherwise, Microsoft Excel cannot read the information.
Saving the File in the SYLK FormatIf you can open the corrupted Microsoft Excel file, you can "filter" it by saving the file in the SYLK format, closing the file, and then reopening it.
Using the Revert To Saved Document Command to Recover DataIf you are editing a Microsoft Excel worksheet and the file accidentally becomes corrupted before you have saved changes to the file, you can recover the original worksheet by doing the following:
Using a Macro to Extract the Data in a ChartIn Microsoft Excel versions 5.0 and later, data may be retrieved from a chart, even when the data is in an external worksheet or workbook. This behavior can be useful in situations where the chart was created from or linked to another file that is unavailable or has been damaged in some way.
Using the Microsoft Excel 97 File Recovery Macro to Recover Information (Excel 97 only)If you can open the workbook in Microsoft Excel 97, you can use the Microsoft Excel 97 File Recovery Macro to re-create Excel worksheets, XLM macro sheets, and module sheets in a new workbook. This macro also creates a log file so that you can identify items that cause problems when you use the macro to transfer them to the new worksheet. If the Microsoft Excel 97 File Recovery Macro fails, view the last entry in the log file to determine which item causes the problem, and then re-create the workbook without that item. For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
To find information about this macro in the "Office 97 Resource Kit" book, see Appendix A, pages 1027-1028. Note that the macro is referenced by the Cleaner.xla add-in that contains it.
The macro on the disc is in the Cleaner.xla add-in. Open the File in Microsoft Word or WordPadIf you have the Microsoft Excel converter installed, you may be able to open your Microsoft Excel workbook in Microsoft Word. If the file does open in Microsoft Word, you will not be able to recover module sheets, dialog sheets, chart sheets, macro sheets, or any embedded charts. Also, you will not recover any cell formulas, just the results of those formulas that are currently in the cells. Open the File by Using Microsoft Excel ViewerIf Microsoft Excel Viewer is installed, you may be able to open the Microsoft Excel workbook in Microsoft Excel Viewer, copy the cells and paste the cells into a new workbook. However, you cannot recover module sheets, dialog sheets, chart sheets, or macro sheets. Also, you cannot recover any cell formulas; you can recover only the results of the formulas that are currently in the cells.
Set the Recalculation Option to Manual Before Opening the FileYou may be able to open the file if you set the Recalculation option to manual. To do this, follow these steps:
REFERENCES"Microsoft Excel User's Guide 1," version 4.0, pages 157-158, 365-371 Additional query words: xl97 xl95 link unlink corrupt howto workbook recreator recreate active recover.exe repair corruption Keywords : xlloadsave xlhelp Version : MACINTOSH:2.20,3.0,4.0,5.0,5.0a,98; WINDOWS:2.0,3.0,4.0,5.0,7.0,97 Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS Issue type : kbinfo |
Last Reviewed: October 21, 1999 |