WD: "Cannot Save or Create File" Error Message

ID: Q187306

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
Microsoft Works for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0a, 3.0b

SYMPTOMS

When you save a file to a network drive in Word Document format, the following error message may occur in Word for Windows, even though Share.exe is loaded correctly on your computer:

   Word cannot save or create this file. Make sure the disk is not
   full or write protected. <path><filename>

NOTE: Sometimes you can save the file the first time to a network drive, but the error occurs when you try to save the file a second time.

Similarly, when you open a Word for Windows document from a network drive, the following error message may occur:

   Cannot open document.

These errors do not occur if you save the file to your local hard disk or floppy disk drive. Similarly, the error does not occur if you save the file to a network drive in a file format other than Word Document format, such as Word For Windows 2.0 format or RTF (Rich Text Format).

These errors occur when you use Windows 95 if you use a real-mode network protocol instead of the normal Windows 95 network drivers.

CAUSE

You cannot save Word documents on a network drive if your network operating system file-sharing and file-locking capabilities are not turned on or are set too low.

The MS-DOS utility, Share.exe, provides file-locking capability only to your local drives, not to network drives. As a result, Word relies on the network operating system to provide file sharing and locking for files located on network drives.

You can save in other file formats on a network drive because the file converters do not use the Storage.dll file, which requires file-locking capabilities.

RESOLUTION

To avoid these error messages, have your network administrator turn on or increase the range-locking settings for your network.

For more information about the file-sharing and file-locking capabilities of your network, refer to your network documentation.

To temporarily work around this "Cannot save or create file" problem, do one of the following:

Save your document to a local hard disk or floppy disk.
-or-
Save the document on the network drive in a different file format, such as Word For Windows 2.0.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Share.exe, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q109971
   TITLE     : Errors If Share Is Loaded High

Additional query words: lantastic unix TotalNet sharing control wollongong w_works winworks

Keywords          : kbdta wordnt ntword word6 word7 word95 
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0a,3.0b,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; winnt:6.0
Platform          : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: February 13, 1999