The Excel format is not the problem What are important are these three values, which must match the Excel file being processed.
Const strCell As String =
"E2"
Const strWorkBook As String =
"Count0To12Hr.xls"
Const strSheet As String =
"Count0To12Hr"
Also change
Code:
lngCell = xlSheet.Range(strCell)
to
Code:
lngCell = Val(xlSheet.Range(strCell))
which should resolve the issue with negative values.
While testing make the Excel app visible so that if it does crash you are not left with a hidden Excel application.
Code:
xlApp.Visible = True