WD6x: SHARE.EXE Questions and Answers

ID: Q105771

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article answers the most frequently asked questions regarding SHARE.EXE in Word for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

1. Q. Why does the following error message occur when I start
      Word 6.0? "You must exit Windows and load SHARE.EXE in order to
      run Word."

   A. To run Word 6.0 under Windows version 3.1 in standard mode or
      386 enhanced mode or under Windows for Workgroups version 3.1
      in standard mode, you must run the MS-DOS SHARE command before
      starting Windows. Word uses the Share program for object
      linking and embedding (OLE) version 2.0 operations.
      Specifically, Share provides the range-locking functionality
      that Word uses in compound files. Word 6.0 will not start under
      Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.1 in standard mode
      unless Share is loaded.

      You do not need Share if you run Word under Windows for
      Workgroups 3.1 in 386 enhanced mode. Windows for Workgroups
      uses a comparable file-sharing utility called VSHARE.386.
      Similarly, you do not need Share if you run Word under Windows
      NT(TM) because this operating system includes built-in range-
      locking functionality.

2. Q. How do I load SHARE.EXE?

   A. If you want to automatically load SHARE.EXE each time you start
      your computer, do one of the following:

       - For all versions of MS-DOS except version 4.01, add the
         following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

            <path>\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

         where <path> is the drive and directory where the SHARE.EXE
         file is located (usually the MS-DOS directory).

         For example, if your MS-DOS directory is called DOS and is
         on drive C, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT
         file:

            c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

       - For MS-DOS version 4.01, add the following line to your
         CONFIG.SYS file:

            install=<path>\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

         For example, if your MS-DOS directory is called DOS and is
         on drive C, add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file:

            install=c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

3. Q. What is the difference between SHARE.EXE and VSHARE.386,
      which is supplied with Windows for Workgroups 3.1?

   A. Both VSHARE.386 and SHARE.EXE are file-sharing programs that
      provide range-locking functionality to applications, such as
      Word 6.0, that support OLE 2.0. VSHARE.386 functions as a
      replacement for SHARE.EXE. VShare is an enhanced mode virtual
      device driver (VxD), and it contains several network-specific
      features that improve file sharing when you run Windows for
      Workgroups in enhanced mode.

4. Q. I'm running Windows for Workgroups but when I try to start
      Word 6.0, I still get the error message "You must quit Windows
      and load SHARE.EXE in order to run Word." What's wrong?

   A. If you are running Windows for Workgroups in standard mode,
      neither VSHARE.386 nor SHARE.EXE is running, so Word cannot
      start. This happens because Word Setup does not add SHARE.EXE
      to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file if you are running Windows for
      Workgroups in either standard or 386 enhanced mode. As a
      result, you must quit Windows for Workgroups and do one of the
      following:

       - Restart Windows for Workgroups in 386 enhanced mode.

         -or-

       - At the MS-DOS command prompt, load SHARE.EXE by typing the
         following and then pressing ENTER:

            c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

         In the above command, "C:\DOS" is the drive and directory
         where SHARE.EXE is located - usually your MS-DOS directory.
         You can now restart Windows for Workgroups in standard mode
         and run Word 6.0.

5. Q. Why does the following error message occur in Word?

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

   A. This error message may occur if you set the parameters for
      SHARE.EXE too low (by decreasing or removing the /L locks
      parameter from the Share command line). The Word Setup program
      sets 500 file locks, so this problem should not occur unless
      you decrease or remove the Share parameters after running Word
      Setup.

      Use one or more of the following steps to resolve this problem:

       - If you have not restarted your computer since installing
         Word, the Share settings in your AUTOEXEC.BAT (or
         CONFIG.SYS) file may be correct, but the settings have not
         yet taken effect. In this case, quit Word, quit Windows, and
         restart your computer so the correct Share settings can take
         effect.

       - Close some of your open documents to free some file locks.

       - Increase the Share file locks (/L) parameter and restart
         your computer. Microsoft recommends that you use the
         following Share parameters:

            /L:500 /F:5100

6. Q. My Share parameters are correct, and I have restarted my
      computer, but I still receive the following error message:

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

      What else can I do?

   A. Below is a list of possible causes for this error message and
      resolutions or workarounds for each cause.

      1. Cause: You may have insufficient disk space to save the
         file.

         Resolution: Check the drive where you want to save the file
         to be sure it is not full. While you are checking for
         available disk space, you should also check for and delete
         any extraneous temporary (.TMP) files.

      2. Cause: You are running MasterWord or other third-party add-
         in programs that conflict with Word.

         Workaround: Quit Word, then restart Word with the /a switch.
         For more information on this switch, see the "Starting Word
         Without Loading Global Items" section at the end of Chapter
         10 in the "Microsoft Word User's Guide."

      3. Cause: The TEMP setting in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file points to
         an invalid location or to a drive with less than 6 to 8
         megabytes (MB) of available disk space.

         Resolution: Modify the SET TEMP line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
         file so it defines a valid location with at least 6 to 8 MB
         of available disk space.

      4. Cause: An older version of Adobe Type Manager(R) (ATM)
         may be conflicting with Word 6.0.

         Workaround: To rule out this cause, quit Word, turn off
         ATM, and then quit and restart Windows. If the error
         message does not recur when you run Word, your older version
         of ATM may be causing the "Cannot Save File" error
         message. Phone Adobe technical support for more information.

      5. Cause: You loaded SHARE.EXE in the upper memory area using
         an upper memory manager (such as Qemm) other than
         EMM386.EXE, which is supplied with MS-DOS .

         NOTE: You should not have a problem running Share in upper
         memory when you use the EMM386.EXE upper memory manager and
         the MS-DOS loadhigh command.

         Workaround: Microsoft has received several reports that the
         "Cannot Save File" error message no longer occurs if you
         load Share in conventional memory instead of upper memory.
         To do this, remove "LOADHIGH" or "LH" from the SHARE.EXE
         line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For example (where "C:\DOS"
         is the location of your MS-DOS directory), change this line

            loadhigh c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 /F:5100

         to the following:

            c:\dos\share.exe /L:500 /F: 5100

         NOTE: Microsoft does not support the mixing of load-high
         methods. You should not use the MS-DOS loadhigh command
         when you run a third-party upper memory manager such as
         Qemm.

      6. Cause: Your EMM386.EXE settings are incorrect.

         Resolution: Make sure you are using correct EMM386.EXE
         settings. For information about EMM386.EXE settings, refer
         to your MS-DOS documentation.

      7. Cause: You have more than one Share line in your
         AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file.

         -or-

         You have a Share line in both your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
         CONFIG.SYS files.

         Resolution: Remove all but one Share line from your
         AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.

7. Q. Why do the following error messages occur when I open a
      file in Word?

         File is in use by another user.

         Cannot open document.

   A. These error messages, which Word displays when you open a
      second or third file or when you open a file based on a
      template, occur if you set the parameters for SHARE.EXE too low
      (by decreasing or removing the /L locks parameter from the
      Share command line). The Word Setup program sets 500 file
      locks, so this problem should not occur unless you decrease or
      remove the Share parameters after running Word Setup.

      Use one or more of the following steps to resolve this problem:

       - If you have not restarted your computer since installing
         Word, the Share settings in your AUTOEXEC.BAT (or
         CONFIG.SYS) file may be correct, but the settings have not
         yet taken effect. In this case, quit Word, quit Windows, and
         restart your computer so the correct Share settings can take
         effect.

       - Close some of your open documents to free some file locks.

       - Increase the Share file locks (/L) parameter and restart
         your computer. Microsoft recommends that you use the
         following Share parameters:

            /L:500 /F:5100

Additional query words: fast tips voice script msav q & a word6 winword Q&A 6.0

Keywords          : kbprint word6 
Version           : WINDOWS: 6.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: May 20, 1999