Messed up EXCEL not starting.

Ok here is the problem:

I have Windows XPpro and Office XP with Frontpage installed.

Every thing in the office XP is working except Excel, it was fine before, i have not used it for a while and today I needed to make a few histograms and it will not even start.

When I try to start it i get the following messages, maybe some of you have might find these familiar and have some ideas. These are the messages(5 total) i get after I click on Microsoft Excel in the start Menu>>>>>>>

1) "Windows installer
-preparing to install"

2) "Please wait while Windows configures Microsoft Office XP with Frontpage"

3)"the feature you are trying to use is on a CD-ROM or other removable disk that is not available" and it asks me to insert the disk(i don't have it) and also in the message i'm given a drop menu saying"Use feature from" and we are given the browse button.
If i click Ok it say it needs the Proplus.msi package from which to install. If i click cancel i get the following message>>

4)"Error 1706. Set up cannot find the required files. Check your connection to the network, or CD-ROM drive....
when i click OK

5)"Fatal error occured during installation".

Sound familiar? Everything has been working great for a year and suddenly out of the Blue Excel doesn't work(everyother office application does) how could that be? and how to fix it, i can't reinstall Office and i need excel right now

Thanks for any help

 

This file...was it on a floppy diskette? or on your harddrive? Was the file created in Office XP or in an older version? Does it only do this for the one file? or no matter what even when trying to open and create a new excel sheet?

 

i think i got the problem solved i searched for excel.exe and ran it from there, i think it was a bad shortcut. It still tries to install but excel opens up and i just get rid of the install message by clicking cancel.

but that install message everytime is annoying, any way to get rid of it is appreciated.


and I do NOT have the CD

 

Man, how many times have you guys saved me???
The above post worked perfect. I have looked at numerous posts over the net in which this seems to be a very big problem.
Search for Excel.exe
Click --open containing folder
Click --Excel.exe
And yes, for me also the "preparing for install" window comes up. Just click cancel until it goes away for good.
BTW, has anyone come up with a fix for that God awful window??

Thank you again, you deserve a big "S" on your chest.