MS Word Error: This file is in use by another application or user

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  1. Posts : 9
    windows 7
       #1

    MS Word Error: This file is in use by another application or user


    WINDOWS 7
    OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PLUS 2010
    As of 3 days ago I am having issues with MS Word docs.

    Issue 1:
    I can open my docs, but when I make changes I get errors stating 'this file is in use by another application or user" or "You cannot save while the file is in use by another process. Try saving the file with a new name."
    (the doc is, however, NOT in use by another application or user and when I close the doc, MS word does not even show up in task manager.)

    Issue 2:
    when I try to save the doc it does not save. The doc changes to a WRL doc and simply disappears.
    A dialog box pops up stating: Word has insufficient memory. Do you want to save ~WRL001 (this is not the name of my doc) as a Rescued document?

    Issue 3:
    Open documents become Read-Only docs.

    Issue 4:
    I cannot delete the documents that i've been having these issues with, as error states the doc is in use.

    Fixes I've tried:
    - I've done a disk cleanup with cleanmgr.
    - I've manually deleted ~$ files.
    - i reboot after each 'fix', but the problem still exists.

    More questions:
    In appdata > roaming > microsoft > word folder …i see several docs entitled ~WRA003.wbk (for example) as well as autorecovery saves of docs & docs beginning ~%delete%.
    In appdata > roaming > microsoft > word folder …i see several docs entitled ~WRL1133 (for example). Some are normal icons (MS Word Backup doc), but several icons are lighter in color (tmp file).
    In appdata > roaming > microsoft > office folder …i see several docs entitled fbc 1A7F.tmp (for example).
    should all of these be deleted as well? (I don’t want to take a chance on losing real documents that I filed in the 'my documents' folder.


    Would be immensely grateful for help.
    Thanks so much, in advance. J
    Last edited by conky1; 24 Feb 2019 at 00:02.
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  2. Posts : 2,798
    Windows 7 x64, Vista x64, 8.1 smartphone
       #2

    Hello conky1
    Welcome to Seven Forums!

    1) Can you save modified documents as a Word template, instead of a Word Document?

    2) Is the Save folder on a Network Share?

    3) Do you have another user account on the computer? Can they create, save, open, modify documents in Word without experiencing any of the issues that you have been describing?
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  3. Posts : 9,746
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit sp1
       #3

    I addition to iko22 Post, you need to check whether you are using the normal.dot template for Word documents & the setting for that should be in Options.
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  4. Posts : 9
    windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #4

    ...
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  5. Posts : 9
    windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #5

    hi iko and ranger. thanks so much for advising me. :)


    apologies for my lack of knowledge as shown below...


    1) Can you save modified documents as a Word template, instead of a Word Document?
    - i have not tried this (and dont know how. please advise).

    - is this a good idea if i work on a lot of different documents on a daily basis?
    - would i still be able to save the doc to my desktop so i could continue working on it a different day?)


    2) Is the Save folder on a Network Share?

    - my internet connection is on a network, but i'm the only one using my PC (at home). How would i check?

    3) Do you have another user account on the computer?

    - No. If i opened another user account, might that help?



    ranger...regarding the normal template: word options > advanced > 'prompt before saving to normal template' IS checked

    thanks thanks !
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  6. Posts : 2,798
    Windows 7 x64, Vista x64, 8.1 smartphone
       #6

    conky1 said:


    1) Can you save modified documents as a Word template, instead of a Word Document?
    - i have not tried this (and dont know how. please advise).

    - is this a good idea if i work on a lot of different documents on a daily basis?
    - would i still be able to save the doc to my desktop so i could continue working on it a different day?)
    Okay I was just presenting your thread with some exploratory questions, to try and help establish the cause of the problem. Lets re-run them again and see what can be done.
    1) No, this is not intended as a permanent solution. Please try on a test document to save as a template and then load , modify and save as a new document.
    i) In Word, instead of selecting Save, select Save As ..., give the file a name that you can remember, then choose file type from the Save as type list, and select Word Template.
    ii) Exit Word, now double click on the template that you have just created, and that should launch Word again.
    iii) Modify the template in Word.
    iv) Save this template as a document by using Save as type again. See if that works. If this trick works, then it would indicate a problem with he original default template.
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  7. Posts : 2,798
    Windows 7 x64, Vista x64, 8.1 smartphone
       #7

    conky1 said:

    2) Is the Save folder on a Network Share?

    - my internet connection is on a network, but i'm the only one using my PC (at home). How would i check?

    !
    2) Some people setup their computer so that they can SHARE folders with another (home) computer on the same network. From what you have said, I would assume that you are not currently doing this. Then Network Sharing is not the cause of this particular problem.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,798
    Windows 7 x64, Vista x64, 8.1 smartphone
       #8

    conky1 said:
    3) Do you have another user account on the computer?

    - No. If i opened another user account, might that help?
    3) Creating another User Account would help diagnose if the issues were peculiar to one User Account, or if the issues can be replicated on a different User Account.
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  9. Posts : 9
    windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #9

    iko22 said:
    1) Please try on a test document to save as a template and then load , modify and save as a new document.
    i) In Word, instead of selecting Save, select Save As ..., give the file a name that you can remember, then choose file type from the Save as type list, and select Word Template.
    ii) Exit Word, now double click on the template that you have just created, and that should launch Word again.
    iii) Modify the template in Word.
    iv) Save this template as a document by using Save as type again. See if that works. If this trick works, then it would indicate a problem with he original default template.

    thanks for the clarity, iko.

    i did the above, and when i got to step ii, i was unable to open the template. I instead got the same error: "this file is in use by another application or use".
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,798
    Windows 7 x64, Vista x64, 8.1 smartphone
       #10

    From the Desktop, Click on the Start Orb and select "Run" from the right-hand-side list.
    A new Window shall appear. Where it says "Open:" type %appdata% and click ok.
    Windows Explorer shall appear. From the list of folders in the Right-pane go to Microsoft\templates folder and delete the Normal.dot template.
    Restart word and attempt to Save another document.
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