"Invalid SYLK File" Error When Opening Text or CSV Files

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 1.x, 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, the error message "SYLK: invalid file format" occurs whenever a text or CSV file that begins with the characters "ID" (without the quotation marks) is opened.

CAUSE

A SYLK file is a text file that begins with ID, or ID_xxxx, where xxxx is a text string. The first record of a SYLK file is the ID_Number record. When Microsoft Excel identifies this type of string at the beginning of a text file, it interprets the file as being a SYLK file. Microsoft Excel attempts to convert the file from the SYLK format, but is unable to because there are no valid SYLK codes following the "ID" characters and generates an error.

RESOLUTION

To prevent this error, insert a blank line as the first line of the text file or remove the characters "ID" by using a word processor.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q215591 XL2000: "SYLK: File Format is not Valid" Error Opening File

Q224321 XL2000: Error Message "| file format is not valid."

Q224134 XL2000: Error Message "File format is not valid."

Q214152 XL2000: "SYLK: File format is not valid" Error When Opening Text or CSV Files

Additional query words: 1.0 1.00 1.03 1.04 1.06 1.5 1.50 2.0 2.00 2.01 2.1 2.10 2.2 2.20 2.21 3.0 XL7 XL97 XL5

Keywords          : 
Version           : MACINTOSH:1.x,2.x,3.0,4.0,5.0; WINDOWS:2.x,3.0,4.0,4.0a,5.0,7.0,97
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb 

Last Reviewed: June 24, 1999