>My code is
>
>Set Default To j:\Global\ss
>filex=Getfile()
>
>I then select my xls file
>
>code continues
>
>SELECT globalinx
>append From &filex Type Xls
>
>I get an error message
>
>The instruction at "0x00028100" referenced memory at "0x000000000" the memory could not be written
>
>What is causing this and how do i resolve it?

Are you sure the XLS file in question is indeed an XLS file and not something else (e.g. XLSX) that has been saved with an XLS extension?
Are you able to open the XLS file in question in Excel? If so, how many rows and columns does it contain?

IIRC a XLSX/DOCX file is essentially a PKZIP archive. If you open such a file in notepad, the first two characters will typically be "PK" (part of the "signature" that indicates a PKZIP file).