How administrator can delete temporary excel file generated on se

[Suhas Sakalikar]

We have denied the delete permission to the user on Windows 2003 server. Now
when user saves the excel file 8 digit alphanumeric temporary files get
generated without any extention where is in word it generated with .tmp
extention. Now as administrator we want to delete these temporary files from
all location with one go. Can you help us.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I think you may want to reconsider your approach...

When excel saves the file, it saves it as a temporary file with a funny name (8
characters--no extension) on that same drive/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.

So as long as the users are supposed to be able to save their changes, they need
delete access to that server/folder to delete the original file.

=========
Those funny named files may be the ones that have the latest and greatest data
in it.

 

[Suhas Sakalikar]

Thank you Dave,

We don't want to allow user to have delete permission. What we are doing for
other than excel file is every day in morning we search (~*.*, *.tmp) and
delete the file, as excel temporary file donot have any extention we are not
able to serach.

What is happening in actual scenario, one user is deleting or moving the
file and other user ask us that somebody has deleted the file though we are
able to restore the file from backup but we do not want such situations.

Suhas

 

[Dave Peterson]

I understand that you don't want to allow users to have delete permission.

But remember that the funny named file is the one that has just been updated.
If you delete that (as an admin), the user loses his/her changes.

I think you have conflicting goals if you want to have the user update the
workbook.

 

[Suhas Sakalikar]

Yes, we don't mind user loses his/her changes. Only final file is important
for user.

During our testing of denying this permission, we found that funny name
stores earlier version of excel file and original name have newer version. We
want this new version only.

Suhas

 

[Dave Peterson]

If you don't mind that the user loses the changes, then provide readonly access
to that drive/folder.

I think your testing of the funny named file wasn't comprehensive.

Yes, we don't mind user loses his/her changes. Only final file is important
for user.

During our testing of denying this permission, we found that funny name
stores earlier version of excel file and original name have newer version. We
want this new version only.

Suhas

 

[Suhas Sakalikar]

If read-only then how user will be able to change the file. Any way we want
his/her final changes.

 

[Dave Peterson]

That's my point.

If you want to allow the user to save the changes, you're going to have to give
them delete access to that location.

 

[Suhas Sakalikar]

Even user donot have delete permission he/she can save the file with changes
but he/she will not be able to delete temporary file of old version and at
each click on save button new temporary file (8 funny character) get
generated.

 

[Dave Peterson]

That funny named file is the new version--not the old version. (Excel saves the
new version as that funny named file.)

Then it tries to delete the old version--this is where your problem happens--the
user doesn't have permission to delete that old version.

The next step would have been to rename the funny named file to the original
name, but that doesn't happen since your delete step failed.

So if you delete the funny named file, you're deleting the file that was just
updated.