WD6x: 21st User Can't Open Shared/Read-Only File on Novell 3.11

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SYMPTOMS

When you run Word for Windows over a network, the following error message occurs if you are the twenty-first or subsequent user to access a read-only file, such as NORMAL.DOT or an add-in program located in the shared WINWORD\STARTUP subdirectory.

   Word cannot open this document template.

CAUSE

The STORAGE.DLL file, supplied with Word, limits to 20 the number of users who can open a single read-only file at the same time. STORAGE.DLL provides OLE 2 (object linking and embedding) functionality.

This problem occurs only with read-only files; it does not occur with read- write files.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 6.0 and 6.0a for Windows. This problem was corrected in Word version 7.0 for Windows 95. An application note that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft Microsoft Technical Support. The application note is titled, "WW1116: OLE Version 2.02". You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

• Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
• The Internet (Microsoft anonymous ftp server)
• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
• Microsoft FastTips Technical Library
• Microsoft Microsoft Technical Support

WORKAROUNDS

If you have not used the appnote to update to OLE version 2.02, you can use either of the following methods to enable more than 20 users to use a file at the same time.

Method 1

Change the attributes of the files to read/write. With this method, the first user has read/write privileges to the file. Word prompts the second and subsequent users to make a copy of the file.

Method 2

Change the attributes of the files to read/write, as described in Method 1, then add a Write Reservation Password to the files to prevent unauthorized changes to the file. (To add a Write Reservation password, choose Save As from the File menu and choose the Options button. Type a password in the Write Reservation Password box and then choose OK.)

TO OBTAIN THIS APPLICATION NOTE

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library:

 ~ WW1116.EXE (size: 868234 bytes) 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services