File Reservation error on shared Excel 97 spreadsheet, need help preventing it. 10 users accessing

[Nate Goulet]

File Reservation error on shared Excel 97 spreadsheet, need help
preventing it.

I have a shared Excel 97 spreadsheet located on a Windows 2000 Server.
There are about 10 computers that share access to it. The spreadsheet
was setup just a few weeks ago.

What should happen is the first computer that opens the file has
Read/Write access. When additional users access it, they get a
message saying it's in use by (User Name) for Read Only access or
Notify them when it's available for editing.

On occasion, the user with Read / Write access will close the file
down, but the other users will still get that same notification that
the file is not available for editing.

So far the only way i've been able to resolve the problem, when it
happens randomly, it by shutting down the computer that is hanging it
up (identified by the Excel user name). Even shutting the pc down is
usually not enough. It seems I have to open it up & close it down a
couple times, then wait 10 minutes and try again. This normally
clears it up.

I'm not sure if shutting the pc down is necessary (or the server), but
i'm guessing there may be some type of delay across the network or
something of that sort.

Windows 2000 Server
Client PC's are Windows 98SE

 

[Joanne Ramaekers]

On the server side you need to release the lock.
You do this by going in Computer Management (under
Administrator tools), then Shared Folders, then Open
Files. Find the user that says the file is open (when
it's not), and go to the Action menu and select close open
file.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Joanne

 

[Nate Goulet]

Thanks, I'll try that.

On the server side you need to release the lock.
You do this by going in Computer Management (under
Administrator tools), then Shared Folders, then Open
Files. Find the user that says the file is open (when
it's not), and go to the Action menu and select close open
file.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Joanne

 

[Nate Goulet]

Thanks Joanne,

You certainly pointed me in the right direction.

It seems on the Win2000 Server I go to Administrative Tools,
Computer Management
System Tools
Shared Folders
Click on Open Files

Locate the file / user,
Right click on Close Open File

That seemed to work in case anyone was wondering how to do this.

 

[Nate Goulet]

Actually, looking at your solution again, it looks like you perfectly
described the process. Just took me a minute.