Excel application scope - Data link properties error

Hello

I have a problem with my robot automation and I do not know if it is in fact UiPath problem or Excel… I have to copy about 60 big excel files (almost 30 MB each) from one directory to another, then brake all links using excel application scope and execute macro activity and finally each file has to be moved to chosen folder. Everything I did works, but (!) when my robot is running for one file it is showing Data Link Properties window (if I check Visible Thumb.db excel is also showing) :frowning: If I am using try catch that window is displayed, but after clicking OK or Cancel it still works great, but without it UiPath is throwing an exception: Excel application scope : Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A03EC. I don’t know why this window occurs, I tried kill processes and set connection but nothing works. Files are really similar to each other, so I don’t know… Any help? I fight with this from couple of weeks…

Interesting, we have one automation where we type a file path into an excel file (excel application scope → write cell) and intermittently this process stops at a point where there is no excel process (visibly) open yet, only a “Data Link Properties” window and we have no idea what is causing this. We are quite sure this is something we did not see until recently. The error “Exception from HRESULT: 0x800A03EC” seems to be related to this as well. Have you found any solution to the issue?

edit. Thanks for the Thumbs.db hint. This indeed is causing the misbehavior. One of our user probably either copies also the Thumbs.db file or creates it by viewing the folder in “thumbs-view”. UiPath sees this file and tries to process it which causes the “Data Link Properties” window to show up.

Root cause: There is a database file called "Thumbs. Db "in the folder, and it is hidden and not visible. Reading this file with Excel application scope will cause Data link properties error.

Solution: Please check whether there is "Thumbs. Db "file before reading Excel.

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If you are trying to read the excel from that folder just create a new folder and place the excel files in it. This would solve the error instead of writing the logic.