Fake Excel Documents

[Parvardigar]

Hello
My accountant ( Xp Pro in a Server 2003 Domain Controller Environment)
was using Excel. Saves and works off the server. While using her Excel
in a normal fashion she was having issues. This message kept popping
up ' document is being used by another person or program.'

These rogue files are named with numbers example DDbd4000. When
clicked on they open into Excel and look like the original file. I
can't delete them in safe mode. At the server with admin login. I
can't rename them. If I open them in notepad and remove the contents
and save, and save as ; and reopen the file the contents repopulate
the fake document. The are holding their own, and fail to respond to
any input instructions from this Admin.

I can't rename them, delete them, move them, alter the contents and
so forth as admin at the workstation (safe mode) or at the Server
(where she keeps her documents). I don't know what to do with these
anomolies that were created the day she was having issues with Excel.

Thanks for any comments.
John Marshall

 

[Gord Dibben]

Those are temporary files Excel creates when a workbook is open.

They should delete when the workbook and/or Excel is closed.

Sometimes they don't when a disturbance takes place.

Re-booting the server should clear them.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[Dave Peterson]

Saved from a previous post.

When xl2003 and older saves the file, it saves it as a temporary file with a
funny name (8 characters--no extension) in the same folder.

If the save is successful, xl will delete the original (or rename it to its
backup name (like "backup of book1.xlk)) and if that's successful, xl will
rename the funny named file to the original's name.

Common things that get blamed for interruptions to this process are antivirus
software poking its head in or network errors--either permissions or physical
problems.

==========
So I'm gonna guess that the permissions aren't set right. (I can't explain why
the admin (who has read/write/delete/alloc permission????) has a problem,
though.)

 

[Parvardigar]

Saved from a previous post.

When xl2003 and older saves the file, it saves it as a temporary file with a
funny name (8 characters--no extension) in the same folder.  

If the save is successful, xl will delete the original (or rename it to its
backup name (like "backup of book1.xlk)) and if that's successful, xl will
rename the funny named file to the original's name.

Common things that get blamed for interruptions to this process are antivirus
software poking its head in or network errors--either permissions or physical
problems.

==========
So I'm gonna guess that the permissions aren't set right.  (I can't explain why
the admin (who has read/write/delete/alloc permission????) has a problem,
though.)









--

Dave Peterson- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

We don't reboot the Servers until the weekends. So I can't prove that
the files will be deleted.
The files with the numbers the Admin is Full Control ; and yes ; that
is most puzzling that Admin is unable to rename/delete.
Thanks for this information. It is very informative.

 

[Dave Peterson]

You may want to try:
http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

It's worked for me (on my local harddrive) in the past.

Be careful with the installation. There's one of those "do you want another
toolbar" option that you may not want to install.

 

[GS]

The files may be locked. if that is the case you can use the server built-in
tool in compmgmt.msc to unlock:
try first Start menu->Admin. tools->computer management-> shared
folders ->open files
locate the files there and unlock one at a time

alternatively, after the accountant logs off, you can wait a minute or two
and
-first kill any of her sessions still shown in the shared
folder->sessions
- look under "open files" for any of the offending files to release