How does it work when you open it from the command window and use a literal string instead of the property "contained" path string.

oExcel=createobject("Excel.Application")
oExcel.visible=.t.
oExcel.... open workbook "literal path string"

Can you open the workbook from the command window?

Those C5 errors are funny - I have worked around them by setting focus to an object on a parent container before I run the sensitive code.