Created attachment 35032 [details] XLS file witch generates exception Opening the attached XLS file generates the following exception java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to find end of row/cell records at org.apache.poi.hssf.model.RowBlocksReader.<init>(RowBlocksReader.java:64) ~[poi-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.hssf.model.InternalSheet.<init>(InternalSheet.java:216) ~[poi-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.hssf.model.InternalSheet.createSheet(InternalSheet.java:157) ~[poi-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFWorkbook.<init>(HSSFWorkbook.java:359) ~[poi-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.WorkbookFactory.create(WorkbookFactory.java:99) ~[poi-ooxml-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.WorkbookFactory.create(WorkbookFactory.java:182) ~[poi-ooxml-3.16.jar:3.16] at org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.WorkbookFactory.create(WorkbookFactory.java:144) ~[poi-ooxml-3.16.jar:3.16] This file can be opened without problem in Excel 2013 or OpenOffice Calc 4.1.3. If either Excel or Calc saves the file(without any updates), then POI can read it without exceptions.