MXL: Can't Access Files on Other Workstations

ID: Q132376

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Macintosh, version 5.0
Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

When you attempt to open a file that is located on another Macintosh computer over a network, you may receive the following error message

   Cannot access <file name>

   -or-

   Cannot find <file name>

   -or-

   <file name> cannot be accessed. The file may be read-only, or you
   may be trying to access a read-only location. Or, the server the
   document is stored on may not be responding

where <file name> is the name of the file you are attempting to open.

It is also possible for the system to load a local copy of the requested file if such a file exists at the same location on the local hard disk.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when your hard disk and the remote hard disk have the same name and the entire remote hard disk has been shared or if you have two network volumes mounted on your desktop and both volumes have the same name.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1

Rename one of the two hard disks to allow access to the file on the remote disk.

Renaming a Macintosh Hard Disk:

From the Macintosh containing the disk disk to be renamed, follow these steps:

1. Click the drive icon.

2. Click the name below the disk icon.

3. When the pointer changes into an I-beam, click to the immediate right of

   the last letter in the drive name.

4. Press DELETE once for each character and space in the drive name.

5. Type the new name.

6. Press RETURN.

Method 2

Share only the folders to be accessed by other users, not the entire hard disk. Besides the additional security gained, it is less likely that a remote user will connect with a local disk that has the same name as the shared folder.

MORE INFORMATION

The default hard disk name used by Apple is "Macintosh HD." Many users change this name to make it easier for other users to identify the hard disks available over the network.

When users do not change the hard disk name and attempt to access a file on an identically named disk, the operating system cannot distinguish between the local disk and the remote disk. This causes the system to look for the file on the local disk. If it does not find a file of that name on the local disk, it returns the message listed above. If a local file by that name does exist in the same folder as the remote file, the system will return the local file without any message.

REFERENCES

Additional information may be available from Apple Support at the following numbers:

   (800) SOS-APPLE
   (800) 767-2775

Additional query words: 5.00 harddrive mac

Keywords          : kbenv kberrmsg xlmac 
Version           : MACINTOSH: 5.0,98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: November 1, 1998