Every month for several years I have accessed my own spreadsheet offline from desktop icon.
To utter consternation and increasing frustration, today OPEN brought up the file BUT can do nothing with it.
Same results with backups on different drives.

Consequently told browse to find program from which can OPEN. Obvious choice MSN Excel. Result: "Cannot find any version ...to open file for edit".

Further on I installed msn xlviewer. In Open process came box, "Office Source Engine (Process ID: 2120) running. Need to Close". How/where to do so no idea. I am on Vista Ultimate with !E7; note not included in list for this item.

FYI, I only have Office 2002 (with Excel 2002), but cannot even remember last time I used it for anything. Also note many MSN references to Office 2003, but hardly ever 2002.
Point is, HOW CAN I GET BACK WHERE I WAS & NOT BE REFERRED TO NEED FOR A PROGRAM (EXCEL)?
Only secondarily (and reluctantly) interested in making Excel function to restore ability to use my spreadsheet.

I will be most grateful for help in this unexpected problem.free

Hi roduke41

I'm sorry if I misunderstood your question. I read it twice and still wasn't sure if you were having trouble because your file isn't set to open with excel or if there is a problem with excel itself.

If it's the former, right-click on your spreadsheet on the desktop and choose "open with". Some versions you shift-right-click to get that menu. Then you choose excel and make sure the box is checked to associate that file type with excel.