Re: Word Errors

From: Mark Tovey (getmark_at_sympatico.ca)
Date: 10/20/04

  • Next message: Markus Meister: "Endnote 7 corrupts cursor in Word X" 
    Date: 19 Oct 2004 23:33:49 -0700

    "Word cannot save this file because it is already open elsewhere"

    Derrick Seymour <dseymour@mum.neric.org> wrote in message

    > Here is the second error I am receiving:
    >
    > Word cannot save this file because it is already open elsewhere.
    >
    > I have found no workarounds for this, let alone any information that could
    > explain how to fix it.
    >
    > Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    I'm experiencing the same issue with OS X Server 10.3.3.

    A few notes, which may or may not get us closer to a solution:

    - the error occurs only when you have a home directory on a networked
    drive
    - the error occurs only when you are logged into a non-administrative
    account

    Two equally unpalatable workarounds suggest themselves:

    - create local accounts for users who want to use Word.
    - give all users who need to use Word administrative priviledges.

    For one reason or other, Office generally does not deal well with
    users who have home directories on a server. Excel, for instance,
    experienced problems with this prior to the 2004 release (the problems
    were macro-related. There's a Microsoft KB entry on this:
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;322237.
    You'll notice that the two suggested solutions in this document
    suggested by Microsoft are similarly impractical:

    > To resolve this issue, use either of the following methods:

    > • Move the Users folder back to the hard disk partition that contains Mac OS X.

     -or-

    > • Reformat your hard disk to have a single partition.

    Unfortunately, upgrading to Word 2004 does not fix the "you cannot
    save this file" problem.

    Neither, as it turns out does installing the Office for 2004 for Mac
    Service Pack 1.

    (I've also upgraded my client machines to 10.3.5, which is supposed to
    improve access to home directories, also without effect.)

    In fact, it may not even be a purely Mac problem. I'm wondering if
    the roots of this go back
    further.

    Consider, for instance, in the Microsoft KB:

    Description of how Word creates temporary files
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;211632

    We learn some interesting things, especially that the location of
    temporary files is hardcoded -- quite possibly also the case on the
    Mac. I'm wondering whether this partly explains the fact that
    Administrative users do not have these save issues (ie. they may have
    permissions for directories on the server or on the local drive that
    non-Administrative users do not have, which somehow ameliorates the
    problem)

    There are two Microsoft KB entries that mention this error on a
    Windows version of Word. I'm trolling Windows docs for clues because
    there's probably still a certain amount of common code base, and also
    because I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel.

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;832874

    > If you open a document in Microsoft Word 2002 that was saved to DocsOpen (a
    > document management program), you may receive the following error message when you try to > save your changes to the document: Word cannot save this file because it is already
    > open elsewhere.

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;832287

    > This problem may occur if you have a mapped drive to the same location that your
    > VBA macro is trying to save changes to the document.

    Also related to the DocsOpen program, only as accessed through a
    macro.

    I have a feeling that we're dealing with some legacy code in the
    ancient heart of Word that still doesn't deal gracefully with
    networked drives. Temporary files may also be a place to look.

    My next move is going to be to update to Server 10.3.5 and see if that
    addresses the problem.

    Any other thoughts, however small, on this problem would be terrific.

    Mark 

    --
Mark Tovey
System Administrator
Cognitive Development Lab
Carleton University
  • Next message: Markus Meister: "Endnote 7 corrupts cursor in Word X"

    Relevant Pages

    • Re: Word 2008 - does it do right-to-left text
      ... the same thing for Mac Office, they could expect to improve Office sales by ... "Take Windows Office 2007, remove the products that are too hard, remove the ... If Apple RTL support is now sufficiently complete that Microsoft can ...
      (microsoft.public.mac.office.word)
    • Re: Word 2008 - does it do right-to-left text
      ... However Microsoft keep boasting they are the biggest Mac developer team ... outside Apple and yet they cannot manage to do what much MUCH ... As I pointed out NeoOffice already can do r-t-l on a Mac ... We already know we are going to loose VBA support (which even though we are ...
      (microsoft.public.mac.office.word)
    • Re: Spoilered for talk of religion
      ... Microsoft couldn't write an operating system, ... It was a bit like MS-DOS in that it was `the standard OS such as ... Apple came out with the Mac (using a modern CPU rather than the backward ...
      (uk.people.support.depression)
    • MS pays Apple $$$ millions in hush money [Long]
      ... has to do with them using stolen Apple code. ... violations, patent infringement, and stolen code. ... the ongoing rivalry between Apple and Microsoft ... a five year deal for continued development of Office for the Mac ...
      (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
    • Re: Cannot activate "Track Changes" on Word 2004 for Mac
      ... The Office Clipboard: Have a look in the Help and see if you can find it. ... I need to get a new Mac, ... Microsoft Office leaves it to the ... there is a single feature that I would love to see in Word 2008: ...
      (microsoft.public.mac.office.word)