Cannot Open .xls files in Excel 2010

Before we start, I would just like to say, I've read probably 9 or 10 other threads with no help.
I cannot open any .xls file.  Unfortunately the user has already associated the file type with Adobe Reader, so I cannot just double click the files to open them.  I have tried the follow fixes with no solution:
-Open With .. > EXCEL.exe  (I double click the application and nothing happens)
-Going in to the file extensions page and associating it with the EXCEL.exe application there, but same thing, nothing happens
-I have tried going into the registry and renaming the "OFFICE12"'s to "OFFICE14".  Nothing happened
-I have tried going into the Excel folder options and checking off and unchecking  "Ignore Other Applications That Use DDE"
-I have searched for the "Microsoft Application Virtualization DDE Launcher" application with no luck
of finding it
-I have tried re-installing and repairing Office 2010
I'm out of idea and have no idea what to try next.  Any ideas?

Hi,
The registry key which could affect you open the .xls by double click is the following:
Important
This method is related to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you do it carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore
the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.8
I would suggest you rename the registry key, and then repair the Office programs to create a new key.
For example:
Rename “Excel.sheet.8” to “Excel.sheet.8.old”.
Then repair the Office programs:
Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features > click the Office 2010 program that you want to repair, then click Change > Repair > Continue.
You might need to restart your computer after the repair is complete.
Sincerely
Rex Zhang
Rex Zhang
TechNet Community Support

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