This can be an issue with newer versions of Microsoft Office and older Microsoft Office files, such as 97-2003 documents for example. Microsoft has a tool to correct this problem that can be downloaded from their website http://support.office.com/en-us/article/double-clicking-an-office-file-fails-to-open-it-1e9c0ad9-34c8-4440-a42e-d30186b29ed6. Select Download under Fix it for Me, and then run the file to troubleshoot this problem.