excel & control panel problems after Windows 8.1 December update

[mikerb]

Envy Phoenix h9-1405a running 64bit Windows 8.1

After running December update Excel files cannot be opened.   Excel just sits "not responding" when accessing file or recovered file,  noticed that on one occassion  the green Excel rectangle stuck on "accessing printer".  

If I run control panel, view devices and printers it just sits with the small blue circle for a long time (haven't got it to timeout so can't say how long).  Only way to clear is to reboot.  Other CP functions seem to work ok.

All other apps, Word, Powerpoint, Acrobat, go into "not responding when attempting to print.   Windows attempts to fix and recover document, but same again on retry.

Before I hit it with restore to an earlier point (one taken just before updating)  can anyone suggest a less dramatic fix please?

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Install LibreOffice temporarily, until the next update fixes your current problem?

[mikerb]

thanks for the suggestion.  I'll look at Libre Office as an alternative to MS Office 365 for my next PC, but meantime it doesn't really help with the printer problem which I can't resolve through Control Panel as that just hangs when trying to look at "View devices and printers" and which looks like its a major contributor to the Excel & other apps problems.

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Hi

NO not really.

"Windows attempts to fix and recover document,"  Meaning an issue with rendering perhaps.

You install LibreOffice and then try to open and print a spreadsheet, note any similarities or differences, and post them back.

That then helps to define the problem as a printer only issue or otherwise.

You do not list the printer as the problem, nor mention it's model number.

[mikerb]

sorry perhaps I'm not making myself clear.  The problem isn't the printer itself (HP1102W connected via USB), but the control/definition file of hardware devices, which is why "View Devices and Printers" from Control Panel hangs and goes nowhere.

Spreadsheets and documents are fine and work fully when transferred to another PC.

[mikerb · Accepted solution]

Update 15 Jan.  - as the PC would do everything except print and open Excel and there was a workaround and project to complete I left further fixing until now.  On checking the problem seems to have resolved itself, possibly after daily reboots to remove back-up devices.  I was going to try rebooting from an earlier restore point but none were old enough to pre-date the December Windows update, but for whatever reason it's now all working.