Excel 2010 does not start on windows 2008 server

[albertmaathuis]

Hello, I have a problem when starting Excel 2010 on a windows 2008 SR2 server.

In my program i use the following statements:

$original="f:\apps\ams\original.xls"

$workfile="f:\apps\ams\workfile.xls"

FileCopy($original,$workfile,1)

Sleep(1000)

_FileWriteLog($logfile,"file copied")

$oExceldos = _ExcelBookOpen($workfile,1)

Sleep(1000)

_FileWriteLog($logfile,"excel active")

When i login on the server as a user everything works fine and in the logfile there are the two lines

(file copied and excel active)

When i let the taskscheduler or a service start the program (logged in as administrator) i only get the first line (file copied) and not the second line.

Starting the taskmanager shows me that there is a Excel proces active, but it is only about 8.500 k large.

(and it should be at least 20.000 k, because the sheet is already filled with data)

Trying to run it as a local system account wich can show the screens on the desktop, also doesn't work.

Perhaps it isn't possible to start excel from the taskscheduler or service because they have no profile on the server. (A user normally has one).

Does anyone know a soluton for this problem?

[Juvigy]

Login as administrator and try the script manually from SCITE. Do you get errors?

[albertmaathuis]

No, manually everything works as it should be. Only when the script is executed from the taskscheduler or starts as a service Excel won't start

It seems Excel is preparing something or wants to write something in the profile. And the taskscheduler or servicemanager have no profile.

So I'm looking for something in which I can tell Excel to act like e.g administrator or another user. The command RUNAS doesn't work, because it only applies for the autoit script and not for the Excel (_ExcelBookOpen)

[Tripredacus]

What account are you running the task or service under? Some accounts in Windows are not allowed to interact with the user ie, open Excel. I'd check with Task Manager to see if excel.exe is actually running or not. It may just be a session 0 isolation issue.

[albertmaathuis]

Excel is active in the taskmanager, but with very littel kb (about 8.5 kb). So it is waiting for something and i think it wants to write something in the "user" profile.

Which doesn't exits!!! Pfff Windows....

Eventually I rewrited my script, using .dat files to store the data and when I want to see the Graphics imported them into Excel.

So far this works, but I'm not pleased. (Learned a bit about writing and importing data from .dat files and that is at least positive)

Unless someone knows a solution to the problem, I think we should close the topic.

Thanks for replying, until the next time!

[Juvigy]

I think excel/MS office needed "first time start" , so issue would be resolved if you log in to windows with that acount and start office/excel/

[NikosRubin]

The Excel works fine from user service under Local System Account. But.. several conditions needed:

1) First, in the Windows 2008 you must manually(!) create 2 folders:

• C:Windowssystem32configsystemprofiledesktop
• C:WindowsSysWow64configsystemprofiledesktop

2) The prevision post also is right "..first time start..". In the first time for new user Excel ask the user credentials (name and first letters for surname) but under service Excel is invisble and this window freeze Excel. User credentials can be disabled in EXcel options or you can do it manually - run you service with "desktop interaction" option enabled, the Windows will show system alert after launching EXcel, switch to Excel window and enter user credentials manually. After then restart you service with working options(disable desktop interaction).

3) To make the code more stable in service mode not use the CreateObject and Run to launch EXcel. Use following approach: start Excel via ShellExecuteEx; connect to Application object using GetActiveObject. Now you can use COM interfaces safely.

This article explains several things about this problem.

Best regards.

Edited April 26, 2013 by NikosRubin