Save problems Word 2004

[kopite]

We have major problems saving Word documents using Mac OS X 10.4.x on a
server volume. What really makes it odd is that the problem only occurs
in the afternoon. The problem has only been reported by users trying to
save using Microsoft Word 2004.

When the problems occurs it is not possible to save or save as on the
server volume - Can not find volume. The volume is available on the
desktop. Saving the file on the desktop works fine.

Mac OS X 10.4.2/10.4.3/10.4.4 with all updates installed.
Microsoft Office 2004 Swedish with SP2 installed.

It is a Windows Server 2003 with MacShare IP 9 installed. We've had the
problem for some time and have replaced the server during that time,
the save problem still remains though. It makes no difference with or
without MacShare IP installed.

Anyone have any ideas how to solve this one?

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Kopita:

Sorry, we have no idea I've asked Microsoft for you.

In the meantime, please check your user's desktops to ensure that do not
have the server share mounted "twice". For example: If the user's documents
were in a folder, and their home drive in another folder on the same share,
and the users had used the Finder or a login script to mount the same server
share via two different paths or aliases, that might cause it.

The other thing that might happen is that the file server may be running out
of file handles, which would produce a problem that appears in the
afternoon.

Ask your Word 2004 users to restart their machines at lunchtime and see if
that improves the situation. (It's actually necessary only to "log out" --
however, you need to log ALL users on a particular desktop out, to ensure
that all file locks from that workstation are released.)

You might also check to see where the user's Normal template and document
templates are. If either are on the server, the server may be running out
of file handles because everyone has the same file open on the server.

Each user must have their own personal copy of Normal template, and it is
best if it is on their local drive.

Try these things while I try to get more information from Microsoft...

Cheers

We have major problems saving Word documents using Mac OS X 10.4.x on a
server volume. What really makes it odd is that the problem only occurs
in the afternoon. The problem has only been reported by users trying to
save using Microsoft Word 2004.

When the problems occurs it is not possible to save or save as on the
server volume - Can not find volume. The volume is available on the
desktop. Saving the file on the desktop works fine.

Mac OS X 10.4.2/10.4.3/10.4.4 with all updates installed.
Microsoft Office 2004 Swedish with SP2 installed.

It is a Windows Server 2003 with MacShare IP 9 installed. We've had the
problem for some time and have replaced the server during that time,
the save problem still remains though. It makes no difference with or
without MacShare IP installed.

Anyone have any ideas how to solve this one?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

OK, Microsoft has come back to me, and as I thought, there's nothing much we
can offer you. You may have noticed a post by Microsoft in here yesterday
about the same problem using Apple servers. Those fixes will NOT work for
you.

The issue is down at the bit-level, and concerns how Apple OS X on the
desktop interacts with the server when performing file locking.

The best suggestions we currently have are as follows:

1. Create a temporaryItems folder in the root directory and make it
WORLD writable (this has been successful with a lot of people)

2. Turn off Spotlight (on the Desktop)

3. Ensure there are no volumes mounted twice (disktool -l in the
terminal) on each desktop.

Failing that, you are really going to have to wait for Apple to
fix this. It's an OS X file access protocol problem.

Very sorry...

Hi Kopita:

Sorry, we have no idea I've asked Microsoft for you.

In the meantime, please check your user's desktops to ensure that do not
have the server share mounted "twice". For example: If the user's documents
were in a folder, and their home drive in another folder on the same share,
and the users had used the Finder or a login script to mount the same server
share via two different paths or aliases, that might cause it.

The other thing that might happen is that the file server may be running out
of file handles, which would produce a problem that appears in the
afternoon.

Ask your Word 2004 users to restart their machines at lunchtime and see if
that improves the situation. (It's actually necessary only to "log out" --
however, you need to log ALL users on a particular desktop out, to ensure
that all file locks from that workstation are released.)

You might also check to see where the user's Normal template and document
templates are. If either are on the server, the server may be running out
of file handles because everyone has the same file open on the server.

Each user must have their own personal copy of Normal template, and it is
best if it is on their local drive.

Try these things while I try to get more information from Microsoft...

Cheers

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410