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How to Lock a workbook and make it secured

Debraj

Excel Ninja
Hi Folks!

Today I faced a weird excel file (xls)
  • When I tried open, it says.. "The file type you are trying to open is not recognizable.... would you like to recover..!"
  • Then its open normally..
  • but I cant copy anything from this file.
  • If I open a new workbook.. and tried to lookup.. like =a1 , it give some weird 3 dimensional #REF!:Sheet1!A1
  • I didn't found any Code in the file..
  • I tried googling, but I dont know.. what is the exact word to search.. :(
PS: file is in, one of my managers desktop. Its employee database.. HR Related

If anyone knows.. How to Create a file.. like above.. or can send me a sample file to read the story behind it.. or WTF (what type of File) is this..
 
Last edited:
Hi, @Debraj(ex-Roy)!
Without the file I can't suggest nothing but it seems to be somehow corrupted. Are you sure that after te recovery process all the information (formulas, or even worksheets or charts) was correctly usable?
Regards!
 
Yes.. file is not corrupted.. I think.. it was created in this manner..
Actually, I am worried only regarding that #Ref:Sheet1!A1 reference error..
atleast I checked.. no sheet are hidden (VeryHidden too) and no sheets are Grouped..

I dont have the copy of the file for further investigation..
If someone have a sample file like this.. please upload .. as I really want to dig down the file type. :(
 
Hi, @Debraj(ex-Roy)!
Tried building such a file? Creating a few worksheets and a couple of 3D formulas and then deleting or removing part of their source? If that's a manner to protect a workbook it's new for me.
Maybe you should play with the extension too, but I don't know with such few clues.
Regards!
 
File was XLX.. and the office version, where I tried to open in Higher version (Office 2010)..
i dont think.. File Sytem (NTFS or FAT) has any role in this...

but I dont know.. the source of the file system or Office version, of origin / creator.

@SirJB7
No clue from my end too.. :(
 
Hi, @Debraj(ex-Roy)!
Nop, if it was something about NTFS security encryption you wouldn't be able to open it unless the same credentials (user) were provided. It happened to haven't been able to read it, then tried to recover it, and then opened it, all from the same machine and logged as the same user?
Does that file gets updated from other source that could have been momentarily not available the 1st time?
Regards!
 
Pls check with herewith enclosed file.
Have you got the same error?
 

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