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Excel 2010 stopped opening Excel files generate from webapps with html

We have about 1,000+ users who are able to open our report files that we generate for Excel. 

Sometime around July 14-July19, several of our users received an update to Office 2010 (running on Windows 7). 

They are now unable to Open the Excel file that is generated ... if they save and send it, others are able to open it.   All of our other users can still open the file in Excel.

There is NO error.  They just download the file, Excel starts to open and they see a blank grey background in excel.

We need help understanding what changed/is no longer supported in the Excel 2010 update (we know for sure there was an update, as the user also now sees a warning when opening Word Docs.) and the File has not changed in YEARS.

They are able to download and view other excel files that are not generated with html.  All of the Excel files that have xml work fine.  It appears to be isolated to the html-based .xls files.

The file itself is  

FILENAME.xls 

If you open it in notepad, here are the contents:

<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><script type="text/javascript">
                window.onload=function(){
                window.focus();
                };
            </script><head><style type="text/css">
table
{
    font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
    font-size: 10pt;
    color:#000;
    margin-top:5px;
    padding-top:5px;
    margin-left:5px;
}
table table
{
    margin-left:0px;
}
th
{
background:#999999;
color: White;
}
.redBackground
{
background-color:Red;
}
.boderline
{
    border-collapse:collapse;
    border:black solid;
    border-width:1 1 1 1
}
.nonboderline
{
    border-collapse:collapse;
    border:black solid;
    border-width:0 0 0 0
}
.boderline td   
{
    border:black solid;
    border-width:1 1 1 1;
    padding:5px 5px 5px 5px;
} 
.boderline th  
{
    border:black solid;
    border-width:1 1 1 1
}
.columnheader
{
    background:#999999;
    color: White;
    font-weight:bold;
    text-align: center;
}
.NO_rowheight
{
height:18px
}
.bold,.boldcurrencylightgreenback,.boldfinancialcurrency
{
    font-weight:bold;
}
.boldnumber
{
    font-weight:bold;
    text-align: right;
   
"\#\,\#\#0\.\#\#_ ";
}
.boldcurrency
{
    font-weight:bold;
    text-align: right;
   
"\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00_\)\;\[Red\]\\\(\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00\\\)";
}
.doubletopdoublebottomborderbold   /*doubletopborder + doublebottomborder + bold*/
{
    font-weight:bold;
    border-top-style :double ;
    border-bottom-style :double ;
}
.doubletopborderbold   /*doubletopborder + bold*/
{
    font-weight:bold;
    border-top-style :double ;
}
.boldfinancialcurrency
{
    text-align:right;
}
.doubletopborderboldnumber,.doubletopborderboldnumberlightgreenback   /*doubletopborder + boldnumber*/
{
    border-top-style :double ;
    font-weight:bold;
    text-align: right;
   
"\#\,\#\#0\.\#\#_ ";
}
.doubletopborderboldcurrency,.doubletopborderboldcurrencylightgreenback  /*doubletopborder + boldcurrency*/
{
    border-top-style :double ;
    font-weight:bold;
    text-align: right;
   
"\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00_\)\;\[Red\]\\\(\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00\\\)";
}
.boldcurrencylightgreenback
{
    text-align: right;
   
"\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00_\)\;\[Red\]\\\(\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00\\\)";
}
.doubletopborderboldcurrencylightgreenback,boldcurrencylightgreenback
{
    background-color:#CCFFCC
}
.doubletopborderboldnumberlightgreenback
{
    background-color:#CCFFCC
}
.pagebreakbefore
{
    page-break-before:always
}
.pagebreakafter
{
    page-break-after:always
}
.caption
{
text-align:center;
font-size: 18pt;
font-weight: bold;
font-family: Times New Roman;
}
.alignleft td
{
    text-align:left;
}
.aligncenter
{
    text-align: center;
}
.doubletopborder
{
    border-top-style:double
}
.message
{
    color:Red;
}
.superscript
{
vertical-align:super; 
color:red; 
font-size:8px; 
font-family:Arial;
margin:10px 0px 0px 0px
}
.NO_rowheight_large
{
    height: 50px;    
}
td
{
"\@";
}
.currencynumberforexcel
{
   
"\\$\#\,\#\#0\.######_\)\;\[Red\]\\\(\\$\#\,\#\#0\.######\\\)";
}
.numberforexcel
{
   
"\#\,\#\#0\.\#\#\#\#\#\#_ ";
}
.financialcurrencynumberforexcel,.financialcurrencylightgreenback,.boldfinancialcurrency
{
   
"\\$\#\,\#\#0\.00####_\)\;\(\$\#\,\#\#0\.00####\)";
}
.financialcurrencylightgreenback
{
    background-color:#CCFFCC;
    text-align:right;
}
.StandardNumberforexcel,.StandardNumberlightgreenback
{
   
"\#\,\#\#0\.\#\#\#\#\#\#_ ;\(\#\,\#\#0\.\#\#\#\#\#\#\)";
}
.StandardNumberlightgreenback
{
       background-color:#CCFFCC; 
       text-align:right;
}
.nocellformatforexcel
{
"";
} 
@page WordOrientation {
size:841.9pt 595.3pt;
}
div.WordOrientation {
page:WordOrientation;
}
@page WordOrientation {
size:841.9pt 595.3pt;
margin:50 50 50 50;
}
div.WordOrientation {
page:WordOrientation;
}
@page {
size:841.9pt 595.3pt;
margin:50 50 50 50;
}
.subColumnHeaderAlignLeft,.subColumnHeaderAlignCenter
{
background-color:#999999;
color:White;
font-weight:bold
}
.subColumnHeaderAlignLeft
{
text-align:left;
}
.subColumnHeaderAlignCenter
{
text-align:center;
}</style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <x:ExcelWorkbook>
  <x:ExcelWorksheets>
   <x:ExcelWorksheet>
    <x:Name>Sheet1</x:Name>
    <x:WorksheetOptions>
     <x:FitToPage/>
     <x:Print>
      <x:FitHeight>0</x:FitHeight>
      <x:ValidPrinterInfo/>
      <x:PaperSizeIndex>9</x:PaperSizeIndex>
      <x:Scale>77</x:Scale>
      <x:HorizontalResolution>600</x:HorizontalResolution>
      <x:VerticalResolution>600</x:VerticalResolution>
     </x:Print>
     <x:Selected/>
     <x:ProtectContents>False</x:ProtectContents>
     <x:ProtectObjects>False</x:ProtectObjects>
     <x:ProtectScenarios>False</x:ProtectScenarios>
    </x:WorksheetOptions>
   </x:ExcelWorksheet>
  </x:ExcelWorksheets>
  <x:WindowHeight>8445</x:WindowHeight>
  <x:WindowWidth>17115</x:WindowWidth>
  <x:WindowTopX>120</x:WindowTopX>
  <x:WindowTopY>45</x:WindowTopY>
  <x:ProtectStructure>False</x:ProtectStructure>
  <x:ProtectWindows>False</x:ProtectWindows>
 </x:ExcelWorkbook>
</xml><![endif]-->
</head><body><h2 align="center"></h2>
<div style="text-align:center">
Report Created: 7/20/2016</div><table cellspacing="0" class="nonboderline" width="747px"><tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;" class="">

<td style="border-style: none; height:10pt;"></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td></tr><tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;" class=""><td style="height:20pt;font-size: 12pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: thin; border-style: solid; border-width: thin;" colspan="2">Total Hours: </td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td><td style="border-style: solid; border-width: thin;"></td></tr><tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;" class=""><td style="border-style: none; height:10pt;"></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td><td style="border-style: none; "></td></tr><tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;" class=""><td style="font-size: 10pt; border-style: none;" colspan="8">__________________</td></tr></table></body></html>

*bumping this thread*

We have the same issue with our Cisco QMReports system. The application spits out reports in HTML format but will saved them as xls.  The file output is the same format as (StringzDev) has provided.

This problem seems to have occurred after patch Tuesday. We did not have any previous problem with this, and we are now no longer able to open documents that we were able to before.

Work around: 

  1.  Right click the downloaded copy of the file and click Properties.  Then click "Unblock" at the bottom right and click OK.  (credit  Dyl0n)
  2. Uninstall KB3115262 Office 2013 (credit Michael-116) or KB3115315 for Office 2010 (credit ME)

[Why MS released this]

This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Office file. To learn more about these vulnerabilities, see Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-088.

[Details on Issues]

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/d2d84793-9920-45e3-baef-5027a4ac1ae0/kb3170008-for-office-2016-breaks-functionality-ms16088


KB3170008 - Office Security Update

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Question Info

Last updated November 17, 2022 Views 1,411 Applies to: