[Solved] Problem Opening .xlsx File

[Frankwm123]

I don't have MSOffice, but I do have the 'readers'. I have a .xlsx file which I can open with Excel Reader, but when I try to open it with OpenOffice, the application just hangs after a couple of minutes & I have to close it with Task Manager which informs me that the application is not responding. I need to be able to input information into this file, which is why I am trying to open it with OpenOffice.
Any solution/s will be welcome, thanks.

PS: This is a link to the downloadable file I am trying to open "DOWNLOAD (10MB)": https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B91OyO ... ist&num=50

[aqualung]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

An .xlsx file may be viewable in MS Excel Viewer (not "Reader") but fail to open in OpenOffice.org.

This is not uncommon. The file import filters from Office 2007/2010 into OOo are incomplete. A future version of OOo will improve this situation, but by that time Microsoft will have introduced yet another incompatible proprietary file format in Office 2014

You could experiment using a range of options (for example, a free on-line file conversion service such as Zamzar.) Or you could ask the author of the .xslx file to "Save As" .xls (the file format in Excel 97 / XP / 2003) and send it to you again. The .xls import filter in OOo gives much better results.

[Hagar Delest]

Better avoid the OOXML format anyway, have a look at: MS Office 2007 OOXML file format (docx, xslx, pptx, ppsx). Can you ask for a .xls? Not perfect but should give better results.

[Frankwm123]

Yes, you're correct, Excel Viewer (must have been thinking Adobe Reader).

Thanks for explaining that. Fortunately the website has a .xls version of the file which OpenOffice could open.

Again, thanks for the help.

[ozlady]

In future, another option can be to upload to Google Docs (free), then download as an xls or odt file.

[cemden]

Surprisingly, after waiting for longer than a minute watching the import bar freezed at 10%, it opened in calc, without any distortions. My PC has 256GB memory, and taskmanager showed no lack of it. So I presume this was because of a 64b computer running a 32 bit OpenOffice. In fact, it runs inside a windows 32b virtual machine. MS virtualization problem? ...

[Villeroy]

Surprisingly, after waiting for longer than a minute watching the import bar freezed at 10%, it opened in calc, without any distortions. My PC has 256GB memory, and taskmanager showed no lack of it. So I presume this was because of a 64b computer running a 32 bit OpenOffice. In fact, it runs inside a windows 32b virtual machine. MS virtualization problem? ...

xlsx is an insanely complex file format. Don't use it.

[John_Ha]

Also see Problem with .xlsx files not opening with AOO