Excel 2008 won't open xlsx files as read-only when file is open by owner

[Patrick.Slokker]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi All,

I have problems with opening a shared .xlsx file when the file is already open on a shared OSX server. Normally the file will open as read-only. It will open as read-only on a PC with Office 2007. It is also working when saving it as a .xls
First the message will appear 'filename.xlsx' is being modified by another user choos "Read Only" "Notify" or cancel. When selecting "Read Only" an error will appear "Excel cannot open this file" the fiel might have been damaged or modified from its original format.

I already tried a save as version and cut and paste in a new document, on PC and MAC. Always with same error. Moving the file to another share or windows share didn't help.

For now we are going back to the .xls extention which we always used. But after upgrading to Office 2007 .xlsx is more and more used.

Please advise

 

[John McGhie]

Check in the folder the .xlsx is in, to make sure the "lock" file is there.

For example, if I open "China Trip 2010b.xlsx", a hidden file named "~$China
Trip 2010b.xlsx" will appear in the same folder.

That's the "lock" file that tells Excel who the other user is, and when they
release the file. If that file is not being created, or the waiting user
does not have permission to access the lock file, then the mechanism cannot
work.

Hope this helps

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi All,

I have problems with opening a shared .xlsx file when the file is already open
on a shared OSX server. Normally the file will open as read-only. It will open
as read-only on a PC with Office 2007. It is also working when saving it as a
.xls
First the message will appear 'filename.xlsx' is being modified by another
user choos "Read Only" "Notify" or cancel. When selecting "Read Only" an error
will appear "Excel cannot open this file" the fiel might have been damaged or
modified from its original format.

I already tried a save as version and cut and paste in a new document, on PC
and MAC. Always with same error. Moving the file to another share or windows
share didn't help.

For now we are going back to the .xls extention which we always used. But
after upgrading to Office 2007 .xlsx is more and more used.

Please advise

--

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Patrick.Slokker]

Check in the folder the .xlsx is in, to make sure the "lock" file is there.

For example, if I open "China Trip 2010b.xlsx", a hidden file named "~$China
Trip 2010b.xlsx" will appear in the same folder.

That's the "lock" file that tells Excel who the other user is, and when they
release the file. If that file is not being created, or the waiting user
does not have permission to access the lock file, then the mechanism cannot
work.

Hope this helps

Thanks for you're reply, but is it the lock file which causes the problem. When it is there Excel 2008 is giving the error. Excel 2007 will open no problem. When we save as .xls (without the lock file) the problem is also gone.

Patrick

 

[John McGhie]

Hmmmm....

You're right, there's something very weird about this mechanism.

The lock file should be there regardless of which format you save the file
in I see that Excel 2008 does not create lock files for workbooks
created as .xls. That would be a bug...

Neither, apparently, does Excel 2004. This is beginning to look like a
"Design bug".

The lock file itself is actually "plain text" not .xlsx, so that would cause
some consternation.

Sorry: I do not know how to work around this. There used to be a
preference in the Windows versions that would suppress creation of the lock
files.

I suspect it's in com.microsoft.excel.plist, but sadly, I suspect it's in
the "Data" key, which is in binary and I don't know how to unpack it.

Sorry to be no help at all...

Thanks for you're reply, but is it the lock file which causes the problem.
When it is there Excel 2008 is giving the error. Excel 2007 will open no
problem. When we save as .xls (without the lock file) the problem is also
gone.

Patrick

--

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]