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johnpiper-'s avatar
johnpiper-
Copper Contributor
Feb 16, 2024

Help! Excel crashing when opening a workbook.

Hi all, Excel on Windows keeps crashing, seemingly randomly with a Workbook with VBA, the VBA has worked for years and the crashing happens only on one specific PC, once the crash happens the file can't then be opened on any Windows PC but it can be opened on a Mac OS Excel ok and then once saved on Mac, the file is then good to open on Windows again.

 

I'm struggling to find any crash logs or debug, but Windows Event Log does give this very vague log of the crashes:

 

 

- <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
- <System>
<Provider Name="Application Error" Guid="{a0e9b465-b939-57d7-b27d-95d8e925ff57}" />
<EventID>1000</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>100</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2024-02-14T16:27:05.9573812Z" />
<EventRecordID>41621</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="9228" ThreadID="10128" />
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>Kitting-Station</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-21-3459310095-25711637-105199218-1002" />
</System>
- <EventData>
<Data Name="AppName">EXCEL.EXE</Data>
<Data Name="AppVersion">16.0.17231.20194</Data>
<Data Name="AppTimeStamp">65bb113b</Data>
<Data Name="ModuleName">unknown</Data>
<Data Name="ModuleVersion">0.0.0.0</Data>
<Data Name="ModuleTimeStamp">00000000</Data>
<Data Name="ExceptionCode">c0000005</Data>
<Data Name="FaultingOffset">ffffffffffffffff</Data>
<Data Name="ProcessId">0x288c</Data>
<Data Name="ProcessCreationTime">0x1da5f62a5504013</Data>
<Data Name="AppPath">C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE</Data>
<Data Name="ModulePath">unknown</Data>
<Data Name="IntegratorReportId">76d2baab-a4df-4126-a7bd-c95aa9066363</Data>
<Data Name="PackageFullName" />
<Data Name="PackageRelativeAppId" />
</EventData

 

 

I'd appreciate any help as Microsoft are being very unhelpful! Thanks all!

John.

  • leasteven's avatar
    leasteven
    Copper Contributor

    johnpiper- not sure if this will help or is relevant to your issue but I I had an issue with Excel constantly freezing/crashing and the issue for me was because I had an external monitor plugged to my laptop and id set that monitor to primary Excel couldn't cope.

    I'm not very tech savvy so I've got no idea why but when I changed the primary screen back to the laptop screen Excel has been working fine.

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Gold Contributor

    johnpiper- 

    The event log you provided indicates an application error with Excel (EXCEL.EXE) crashing due to an exception code (c0000005). This code typically indicates an access violation, which means Excel attempted to access memory that it shouldn't have, leading to the crash.

    Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to address this issue:

    1. Update Excel and Windows: Ensure that both Excel and Windows are fully up to date. Sometimes, issues like this can be resolved by installing the latest updates, as they may contain bug fixes or improvements that address the problem.
    2. Check for Add-ins: Disable any Excel add-ins or third-party software that might be conflicting with Excel. Sometimes, conflicts with add-ins or other software can cause Excel to crash.
    3. Check for Corrupted Files: Check if the Excel file itself is corrupted. Try opening other Excel files on the affected PC to see if they also cause Excel to crash. If only one specific file is causing the issue, it may be corrupted. In this case, try opening the file on another PC or using Excel's built-in repair functionality.
    4. Test in Safe Mode: Try opening Excel in Safe Mode to see if the issue persists. This can help determine if the problem is related to an add-in or other customization. To open Excel in Safe Mode, hold down the Ctrl key while launching Excel.
    5. Repair Office Installation: Use the built-in repair functionality in Office to repair the installation. This can fix any corrupted files or settings that may be causing the issue.
    6. Check for Hardware Issues: Sometimes, hardware issues such as faulty RAM can cause applications to crash. Run hardware diagnostics on the affected PC to check for any hardware problems.

    If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it may be necessary to further investigate the specific circumstances under which the crash occurs. You may also consider contacting Microsoft support for assistance, as they may be able to provide more detailed troubleshooting steps or escalate the issue if necessary.FormularbeginnThe text and steps were edited with the help of AI.

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

    Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and Like it!

    This will help all forum participants.

    • johnpiper-'s avatar
      johnpiper-
      Copper Contributor
      NikolinoDE

      Thanks for your suggestions, much appreciated as Microsoft support are being very unhelpful so far!

      All installs are up to date and have no add-ins beyond VBA.

      As I explained, what's unusual is that once the file opens its inconsistent as to if it'll crash or not, it's like a 1 in 10 tries on a specific PC which causes the crash. Further, once the crash occurs, the file seems tainted as it'll fail to open on any Windows PC on the business network then but weirdly does open on a Mac OS and saving from that PC (Without any edits) then makes the file un-tainted? All very odd!

      I tried an office install repair and a complete uninstall, registry/leftover files purge and re-install both didn't resolve the issue.

      I've have tried a file repair and that also seems to work, but I'm apprehensive about what changes the repair has made, is there a log of the fixes it's made so I can verify?

      Many thanks in advance!
      John.
      • Patrick2788's avatar
        Patrick2788
        Silver Contributor

        The best way to resolve this may be to get the workbook open by any means possible. Backup the modules in the XLSM. Save as XLSX to strip the code from the workbook. Close it and open again. Re-introduce the macros into the book by importing the modules. Save as XLSM and hope for the best.

        This is another reason why I use vba as a last resort. At the moment I only use code to time calculations.  With stricter security settings, vba is not worth the struggle when there are other options available.

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