The double \\ is always OK (although in single quotes it is often redundant). That is not your problem now, and maybe never was. If you are passing a file name on the command line then the default file name is irrelevant. As a sanity check you should:

die "Can't find $filename\n" if ! -f $filename;
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before the parse line. Note that -f tests for the existence of a file so the die will happen if the file is missing, even if there is a directory of that name.

Most likely you are passing a file name for a file that exists in a different directory than is the current directory when you run the script. The die line will detect and report that.

Note that strictures (use strict; use warnings;) pick up bad escape sequences and would often catch your initial error (although not \E). You should always use strictures.

Why have you changed the single backslash to a double backslash?

Update: oops, too late...

use Spreadsheet::ParseExcel;

   my $filename = shift || 'C:\Earthlink.xls';


    my $parser   = Spreadsheet::ParseExcel->new();


    my $workbook = $parser->parse($filename);


    if ( !defined $workbook ) {
        die $parser->error(), ".\n";
    }
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I have done exactly as you have told. But still i find the error "File Not found" . I have cross checked whether i have put the file in C:\ or not. I have done that. Can you please help me out. Thanks in advance

No, you have not done "exactly" as toolic suggested. You're showing us single quotes around the file name. c.f. his line 3 at his first reply. See also any of the standard references re "interpolation."

pavanpvss sometimes you are not in the directory that you thought you were in. Try adding the following line to your code and run it before the 'my $filename' line.

map { print $_ . "\n" } <C:\*>;
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Then check the output for your file. (note the similarities of the C:\ to your filename call).