Word says file is read-only, but it isn't.

[ajs2004]

I get this error on starting up Word 2007:

Microsoft Office Word
This file is read-only.
(EndNote Cwyw.dotm)
[Show Help >>]
[OK]

.... but if I check the file attributes on Application Data\EndNote
Cwyw.dotm, it's not Read-only at all.

It's driving me crazy. Can anyone make sense of it? Any way to fix
this?


The problem occurs only if Application Data is on a network drive; if
it's on C:, there's no problem. (We can't simply switch Application
Data to C:, because other applications would be affected by that
policy change.)

I see this when EndNote X2 or EndNote X1.0.1 is installed. No problem
when EndNote X1 is installed.

In all cases, first-time Word use creates the Application Data\EndNote
folder, and copies the default .dotm files into it (presumably from "C:
\Program Files\EndNote X2\Product-Support\CWYW\" or "C:\Program Files
\Common Files\ResearchSoft\Cwyw\12\", in the case of EndNote X2).

The files in Application Data\EndNote are not read-only, are owned by
the Word user, and the user has Full Control on them. So what's Word's
problem??


Andrew Smith
University of Reading

___________________________________________

C:\>rem Application Data on C: -

C:\>reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData /d "C:
\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data" /f

The operation completed successfully

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\User Shell Folders
AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall
\Application Data


C:\>
C:\>rem Note: No EndNote folder there -

C:\>dir "C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is E808-086C

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data

File Not Found

C:\>
C:\>rem Start Word -

C:\>"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft
Office\Microsoft Office Word 2007.lnk"

C:\>rem Word runs OK. Note EndNote folder has now been created:

C:\>dir "C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is E808-086C

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data
\EndNote

26/08/2008 16:34 <DIR> .
26/08/2008 16:34 <DIR> ..
26/08/2008 16:34 25,824 EndNote Cwyw.dotm
20/02/2007 10:40 24,667 EndNote Web Cwyw.dotm
2 File(s) 50,491 bytes
2 Dir(s) 12,959,055,872 bytes free

C:\>
C:\>rem Now try with Application Data on a network drive (N ...

C:\>reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData /d "N:
\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data" /f

The operation completed successfully

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\User Shell Folders
AppData REG_SZ N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall
\Application Data


C:\>rem Note: No EndNote folder there -

C:\>dir "N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive N is HOME
Volume Serial Number is 5904-335C

Directory of N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data

File Not Found

C:\>
C:\>rem Start Word -

C:\>"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft
Office\Microsoft Office Word 2007.lnk"

C:\>rem Word runs, but says: This file is read-only (EndNote
Cwyw.dotm) ... Word cannot write to file.

C:\>rem Note EndNote folder has now been created:

C:\>dir "N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive N is HOME
Volume Serial Number is 5904-335C

Directory of N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data
\EndNote

26/08/2008 16:40 <DIR> .
26/08/2008 16:39 <DIR> ..
20/02/2007 10:35 25,859 EndNote Cwyw.dotm
20/02/2007 10:40 24,667 EndNote Web Cwyw.dotm
2 File(s) 50,526 bytes
2 Dir(s) 40,080,928,768 bytes free

C:\>

 

[Terry Farrell]

Your description suggests that the problem lies with EndNote X2. It is
probably a security permissions problem. Have you contacted EndNote because
they have probably already come across this problem?

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

I get this error on starting up Word 2007:

Microsoft Office Word
This file is read-only.
(EndNote Cwyw.dotm)
[Show Help >>]
[OK]

... but if I check the file attributes on Application Data\EndNote
Cwyw.dotm, it's not Read-only at all.

It's driving me crazy. Can anyone make sense of it? Any way to fix
this?


The problem occurs only if Application Data is on a network drive; if
it's on C:, there's no problem. (We can't simply switch Application
Data to C:, because other applications would be affected by that
policy change.)

I see this when EndNote X2 or EndNote X1.0.1 is installed. No problem
when EndNote X1 is installed.

In all cases, first-time Word use creates the Application Data\EndNote
folder, and copies the default .dotm files into it (presumably from "C:
\Program Files\EndNote X2\Product-Support\CWYW\" or "C:\Program Files
\Common Files\ResearchSoft\Cwyw\12\", in the case of EndNote X2).

The files in Application Data\EndNote are not read-only, are owned by
the Word user, and the user has Full Control on them. So what's Word's
problem??


Andrew Smith
University of Reading

___________________________________________

C:\>rem Application Data on C: -

C:\>reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData /d "C:
\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data" /f

The operation completed successfully

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\User Shell Folders
AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall
\Application Data


C:\>
C:\>rem Note: No EndNote folder there -

C:\>dir "C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is E808-086C

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data

File Not Found

C:\>
C:\>rem Start Word -

C:\>"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft
Office\Microsoft Office Word 2007.lnk"

C:\>rem Word runs OK. Note EndNote folder has now been created:

C:\>dir "C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is E808-086C

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data
\EndNote

26/08/2008 16:34 <DIR> .
26/08/2008 16:34 <DIR> ..
26/08/2008 16:34 25,824 EndNote Cwyw.dotm
20/02/2007 10:40 24,667 EndNote Web Cwyw.dotm
2 File(s) 50,491 bytes
2 Dir(s) 12,959,055,872 bytes free

C:\>
C:\>rem Now try with Application Data on a network drive (N ...

C:\>reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData /d "N:
\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data" /f

The operation completed successfully

C:\>reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v AppData

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\User Shell Folders
AppData REG_SZ N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall
\Application Data


C:\>rem Note: No EndNote folder there -

C:\>dir "N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive N is HOME
Volume Serial Number is 5904-335C

Directory of N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data

File Not Found

C:\>
C:\>rem Start Word -

C:\>"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft
Office\Microsoft Office Word 2007.lnk"

C:\>rem Word runs, but says: This file is read-only (EndNote
Cwyw.dotm) ... Word cannot write to file.

C:\>rem Note EndNote folder has now been created:

C:\>dir "N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data\EndNote"
Volume in drive N is HOME
Volume Serial Number is 5904-335C

Directory of N:\Documents and Settings\2kinstall\Application Data
\EndNote

26/08/2008 16:40 <DIR> .
26/08/2008 16:39 <DIR> ..
20/02/2007 10:35 25,859 EndNote Cwyw.dotm
20/02/2007 10:40 24,667 EndNote Web Cwyw.dotm
2 File(s) 50,526 bytes
2 Dir(s) 40,080,928,768 bytes free

C:\>

 

[ajs2004]

Yes, it sounds like a security permissions problem, but as I say, I
looked at the files, they do not have the Read-only attribute set, and
the ACLs look the same.

I did try EndNote support, but they don't seem to have heard of this.
(They suggest, vaguely, that it's 'not designed' for this environment
- but since folder redirection is a normal thing, and the previous
version doesn't give a problem, that's hard to believe. We also have
folder redirection on My Documents, but that doesn't lead to any
problems.)

 

[givinson]

Yes, it sounds like a security permissions problem, but as I say, I
looked at the files, they do not have the Read-only attribute set, and
the ACLs look the same.

I did tryEndNotesupport, but they don't seem to have heard of this.
(They suggest, vaguely, that it's 'not designed' for this environment
- but since folder redirection is a normal thing, and the previous
version doesn't give a problem, that's hard to believe. We also have
folder redirection on My Documents, but that doesn't lead to any
problems.)

Your description suggests that the problem lies withEndNoteX2. It is
probably a security permissions problem. Have you contactedEndNotebecause
they have probably already come across this problem?

I have also been investigating this issue. At my workplace we are
currently using Office 2003 and Endnote X. In 2009 however we are
looking to move to Office 2007 and Endnote X2. We also have the
Application Data folder and My Documents folders redirected to our
users home drives on the network.

In my testing I had the same results as reported by Andrew in the
first post, Word 2007 reports the file is read only and cannot be
saved, even though I have checked the actual file security permissions
to ensure the user has full access to the file and that it is not set
to read-only.

I have also tried setting the Trust Center to to add trust to the
server the user home folders reside on, to no avail.

Currently the only way I have been able to resolve the issue is to
redirect folders back to c:\Documents and Settings\username\. We
cannot just redirect the folders back to local either, as other
applications use this folder in its current location for all our
users.

We have not had this problem with previous versions of Word 2003 and
Endnote X and redirected user folders. With some of the other
information I have read on some other forums out there I am thinking
the problem is coming from Word 2007 and not Endnote?

Has anyone found a resolution for this issue yet?

Greg Ivinson