Excel Problem With Old Office 2010 on New Windows 10 Computer

So I downloaded Office 2010 onto my new computer using the original key, and it all seems to be working except:

When I double click on an excel filename it opens excel, but not the file. I get a window with all the icons in the frame, but the icons are greyed out, and the whitespace where the spreadsheet goes is missing, and all grey. The same happens if I use a desktop shortcut. However, if I click File > Open > [filename] it all works fine. This only occurs on Excel, Word will open correctly from either method. If I right-click the Excel icon on the task bar there's no recent file list, but there is with Word.

IIRC, Excel was working at first with a test file I'd downloaded from the web, but I'm not sure whether the problem started when I first used one of my own files or after I had set up a user account as well as the original admin a/c.

Thanks.

This sounds like a registry issue.

Try this:
1. Press the WIN key+r together to open the RUN dialog.
2. Type control then press the ENTER key.
3. In Control Panel, open Programs and Features.
4. Select Microsoft Office 2010 by clicking on it once in the program list.
5. Select Change from the menu bar.

6. In the next dialog, select the option to Repair then click on the Continue button and follow the prompts.

You'll be prompted to close and re-open all MS Office apps for the repair to take effect (the repair should re-write the registry keys that govern how MS Office responds to double-clicking on files associated with Excel).

Hope this helps...

RickC said:

This sounds like a registry issue.

Try this:
1. Press the WIN key+r together to open the RUN dialog.
2. Type control then press the ENTER key.
3. In Control Panel, open Programs and Features.
4. Select Microsoft Office 2010 by clicking on it once in the program list.
5. Select Change from the menu bar.

6. In the next dialog, select the option to Repair then click on the Continue button and follow the prompts.

You'll be prompted to close and re-open all MS Office apps for the repair to take effect (the repair should re-write the registry keys that govern how MS Office responds to double-clicking on files associated with Excel).

Hope this helps...

Yes! Brilliant! That's got it sorted. Thanks very much.
@Try3, I tried Ricks suggestion first because it looked the simpler option for me to follow, thanks.

I thought that was an end to it, but apparently not.

I switched on this morning to find that the desktop shortcuts had changed to the new design, and were opening Office 365 to demand a subscription. When I tried Word, it opened a dialogue box informing me that it was 'configuring' after which, the problem at the top of this thread reappeared. The same fix cured it, but is this now going to be a weekly ritual? If so, I'm wondering...……

What's the difference between Office 365 Personal, and Office Home & Student 2019? Why would anyone pay £60 a year when they can have the same(?) thing for a one-off £120 fee? Surely the student version has paid for itself in 2 years? Secondly, it's asking for my MS account, so does that mean I have to buy it twice if I want to use it on both the Admin & User accounts?

You have to remove any trial version of MS Office before installing Office 2010.
A lot of new PC/laptops have this pre-installed.

Uninstall it, and use the uninstall tool from MS Option 2 here:
Uninstall Office from a PC - Office Support

Only when this is done install your MS Office 2010.

I would also flag up the same principle applies to McAfee...again often pre-installed.

The first step says "Create or open an existing file and select File > Account"

The "account" option doesn't exist. Won't the 'Uninstall' option on the W7 Control Panel work?

There's a bit that says expand this section if you're not sure which type of installation you have.

I've found the 'Account' option now, but I can't access it. Most of the ways to open office bring up 2010, but I've found one that opens 365. Problem is it won't let me select 'Account' until I register it to my email. That begs another question: If I were to buy 365 can I use it on both my Admin and User accounts, or does it have to be just one? Does the W7 uninstall option not work?