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

[conky1]

[FONT=&quot]WINDOWS 7[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PLUS 2010[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As of 3 days ago I am having issues with MS Word docs.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Issue 1: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]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." [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](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.)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Issue 2:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]when I try to save the doc it does not save. The doc changes to a WRL doc and simply disappears. [/FONT]
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?

[FONT=&quot]Issue 3: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Open documents become Read-Only docs.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Issue 4:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I cannot delete the documents that i've been having these issues with, as error states the doc is in use. [/FONT]

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

[FONT=&quot]More questions[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]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%. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]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).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In appdata > roaming > microsoft > office folder …i see several docs entitled fbc 1A7F.tmp (for example). [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]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.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Would be immensely grateful for help. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks so much, in advance. [/FONT]J

 

[iko22]

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?

 

[Ranger4]

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.

 

[conky1]

...

 

[conky1]

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 !

 

[iko22]

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.

 

[iko22]

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.

 

[iko22]

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.

 

[conky1]

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".

 

[iko22]

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.

 

[conky1]

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

i did not previously have another user account, but i opened one to see if i could access the docs that way. I could not. I got the same error message, but this time it said file was in use by 'the system' (something like this)

 

[conky1]

Iko, if i delete normal.dot, will i lose my customizations (like the quick access toolbar and other settings?)
i'd rather not take a chance on losing my hundreds of customizations. is there zero risk of losing this?



also, i see: normal.dotm (not normal.dot), normalold.m, and ~$normal.dotm and normalemail.m


delete all?



thanks

 

[iko22]

Close Word first of all. Then delete normal.dotm and ~$normal.dotm. The template is usually a blank template when you first create a document. It will get re-created when you next start Word again. Should not affect toolbars and other settings, etc

 

[conky1]

no good.
error: word has insufficient memory. do you want to save ~WRL001.tmp as a rescued doc.


i should note that i've had this error as well, since the issue began.


iko, i have to run out for 1/2 hour. will you be around afterwards?

 

[conky1]

i'm back now. i'm hoping you're still with me.

 

[Ranger4]

You could try a repair on your Office 2010 program.

Repair a product through the Control Panel - Microsoft Community

To repair the Normal.dot Template this might help you.

Change the Normal template (Normal.dotm ) - Word

 

[conky1]

thanks, ranger. will either of these cause me to lose my customizations (like the quick access toolbar and other settings?)


also, i cannot change the normal.dotm as i cannot save any documents or templates due to the previously mentioned errors.

 

[Ranger4]

Running the Office repair should not cause that, but if these customisations you mention are applicable to Word then that might happen. But once you get Word working properly you can set them up again, as getting Word working properly seems to be the main objective at present.