"Cannot Access <FILENAME.XLA>" Opening Add-Ins Dialog Box

 Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
Article ID: Q126998
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0c
  • Microsoft Office for Windows, version 4.3c-CD

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you choose Add-Ins from the Tools menu, you may receive the following error message 

   Cannot access '<FILENAME.XLA>'
where FILENAME.XLA is any of the following files: 

   ATPVBAEN.XLA
   AUTOSAVE.XLA
   ADDINFNS.XLA
   ANALYSF.XLA
   ANALYSIS.XLA
   QE.XLA
   VIEWS.XLA
   XLSCAN.XLA
This error message appears two times for each of the files listed above that are selected in the Add-Ins dialog box. Additionally, when the Add-Ins dialog box appears, the add-in that corresponds to the file listed in the error message does not appear in the Add-Ins Available list.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you install Microsoft Excel using the Microsoft Office version 4.3c-CD Setup program. The behavior occurs when you load one of the add-ins listed above using the Add-Ins dialog box, close Microsoft Excel, and then start Microsoft Excel again. The error message does not occur until you choose Add-Ins from the Tools menu in the second session of Microsoft Excel.

Note that this behavior may also occur when you perform a network installation of Microsoft Excel, or if you are manually adding any of the add-ins listed above to the EXCEL5.INI file.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this problem, do the following:

Note that the following steps assume that you have received the error message described above. If you receive the error message above, the information necessary for loading the add-in is removed from the EXCEL5.INI file when you close Microsoft Excel. Steps 1-4 below are necessary in order for the add-in file to be referenced in the EXCEL5.INI file again.

  1. Close Microsoft Excel, and then start Microsoft Excel again.

  2. From the Tools menu, choose Add-Ins.

  3. In the list of Add-ins Available, select the check box next to any add-ins that you want to load, and choose OK.

  4. Close Microsoft Excel.

  5. In Notepad, or in another text editor, open the EXCEL5.INI file (located in your Microsoft Windows directory) and add the /F or /R switch to the appropriate add-in lines in the [Microsoft Excel] section as in the following example 

          OPEN=/F C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\ANALYSIS\ATPVBAEN.XLA
      OPEN1=/F /R C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\AUTOSAVE.XLA
      OPEN2=/F C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\ADDINFNS.XLA
      OPEN3=/F C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\ANALYSIS\ANALYSF.XLA
      OPEN4=/F C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\ANALYSIS\ANALYSIS.XLA
      OPEN5=/F /R C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\MSQUERY\QE.XLA
      OPEN5=/F /R C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\VIEWS.XLA
      OPEN6=/F /R C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL\LIBRARY\XLSCAN.XLA

    where C:\MSOFFICE\EXCEL is the directory to which you installed Microsoft Excel. Note that the number following the OPEN command may be different in your EXCEL5.INI file.

MORE INFORMATION

When the above error occurs, if you attempt to add the add-in file (listed in the error message) during the same Microsoft Excel session, you receive the following error message: 

   Cannot access '<FILENAME.XLA>'
If you choose Cancel, you receive the following error message: 

   '<FILENAME.XLA>' is not a valid add-in
The following table lists the add-in files that cause this problem and their corresponding add-in name listed in the Add-Ins dialog box. 

   Filename                            Add-In
   --------------------------------------------------------

   ATPVBAEN.XLA                 Analysis ToolPak - VBA
   AUTOSAVE.XLA                       AutoSave
   ADDINFNS.XLA             MS Excel 4.0 Add-in Functions
   ANALYSF.XLA              MS Excel 4.0 Analysis Functions
   ANALYSIS.XLA             MS Excel 4.0 Analysis Tools
   QE.XLA                            Q+E Add-In
   VIEWS.XLA                        View Manager
   XLSCAN.XLA                Microsoft Excel Virus Search
For more information about using switches in the Microsoft Excel .INI file, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID:  Q100615
   TITLE     : Excel: Using the /F Switch to Load Add-in Macros

KBCategory: kbsetup kbtool
KBSubcategory: xlwin

Additional reference words: 4.30c-CD 5.00c



THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.