Office &amp; productivity software forum: Word files suddenly become read only

Two things

by MarkFlax - 9/22/11 12:51 PM

In Reply to: Also happens to us by soucie--2008

CNET doesn't have a direct line to Microsoft so telling them here to solve their problems is likely not going to get through to them.

Secondly, I've never had this problem and other than the possible causes mentioned elsewhere in this thread this is very difficult to duplicate.

Mark

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Not happening to me.

by R. Proffitt - 9/25/11 12:29 PM

In Reply to: Also happens to us by soucie--2008

At the office they have that and never happens. HOWEVER there are some hundred SECURITY ADD ONS (antivirus, other?) that could cause an issue like this. Since Microsoft is not issuing the OS with such add ons, we have to look at what we did to trigger the issue.
Bob

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I'm having the same problem

by rlajbsmith - 4/12/12 6:09 PM

In Reply to: This happens to me also by whmscl

This has been a problem for the past few months. It happens to me about once a week. I'm running Windows Vista and Word 2002. From what I'm reading, this problem happens in xp, vista, and windows 7 running word 98, 2002 and 2010 and probably everything in between. I started wondering if there was a hidden macro virus but can't seem to find anything that indicates it. Many years ago there was a popular macro virus that would do things like this. Any ideas? It may have started when I changed my antivirus program to Computer Associates instead of McAfee. Hard to remember and keep track of these things.

I open or create a new document and work from a flash drive. I save often and sometimes even when nothing's changed out of habit. I've lost too many files over my 30+ years of using pc's to risk a big loss. This read only problem is very annoying and it would be nice to hear of a real solution. Save-as and renaming is a work around for now, but not a real solution.

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work from a flash drive

by R. Proffitt - 4/14/12 11:40 AM

In Reply to: I'm having the same problem by rlajbsmith

"now watch closely everyone before everything goes horribly wrong"

I can only guess this hasn't bit you you yet. We'll watch.
Bob

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How I fixed this problem after upgrading from Vista to Win7

by KenKlima - 12/4/12 9:55 AM

In Reply to: I'm having the same problem by rlajbsmith

After I upgraded to Win 7 I had the same problem and was able to solve it for all my documents/files at once. In WORD, I clicked to Open a file. I have my files on a separate drive so I clicked on Computer and then the external drive. The folders opened up. I right-clicked on a folder and clicked on Properties and then Security. Under Group or user names, I highlighted my login name and clicked on the edit button below the box. In the list of permissions below the edit button, I checked Full Control and clicked on Apply. Win 7 then quickly went through all the files and updated the permission which removed the read-only permission restriction. This has given me full control over all files whereas before they were all read-only. I actually clicked on the entire external drive and Win 7 began changing the permissions for JPEGs as well. Now, all documents are available to be freely edited.

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Word files suddenly become read only

by Tryvor - 1/27/11 7:41 AM

In Reply to: Word files suddenly become read only by 1Chris

If this is a network file, there could be a sharing violation.

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http://word.tips.net/Pages/T000223_Open_Documents_Suddenly_Become_ReadOnly.html

Possible solution

by erhaskett - 2/3/11 9:00 AM

In Reply to: Word files suddenly become read only by 1Chris

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Windows 7 / Word 2003 false "read-only" problem

by PhilipCohen2 - 11/25/11 7:52 PM

In Reply to: Word files suddenly become read only by 1Chris

Same problem here.
Windows 7 / Word 2003 false "read-only" problem
I very recently upgraded to Windows 7 Pro x64 on new hardware. I am still using MS Word 2003. I have a Word file that I usually have open and regularly update and "save" but after doing only a couple of "saves" Word decides that the file will thereafter be "read-only" and presents me with the "save as" dialogue; the file is NOT read only and it is a nuisance having to delete and rename the resulting multiple files all the time.
(I do recall a few years ago, under Windows XP, when regularly saving an open Excel file that the same quirk used to pop up occasionally, but never then on a Word file.)
On cancelling the save, the title bar of Word adds to the file name the suffix "(Read-Only)".
However, regardless of the circumstances, an examination of the properties for this file, at all times, indicates that the file is NOT "read only".
I have tested the problem file on my laptop that is still running Windows XP. No problem there: it seems that I can make as many saves as I like on XP; indeed I had no problem with this file on my previous desktop running XP. Therefore it is a problem with Windows 7 or at least a problem with files created on XP ...
I've tried creating a new Word 2003 file on Windows 7 and copying the data from the XP-created file thereto. I then modified and saved the file multiple times. Word presented me with the "Save as" dialogue when I attempted the fifth save. So the effect is habitually reproducible but it's not even consistent with the number of saves it will allow before it goes to its false "read only" mode.
Unchecking "Save AutoRecover info" made no difference for me.
So, it appears to be (still) just a Windows problem.
Very frustrating ...

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It's a complete mystery

by MarkFlax - 11/26/11 4:28 AM

In Reply to: Windows 7 / Word 2003 false "read-only" problem by PhilipCohen2

I deleted your other post by the way, thank you for alerting us to it. For some reason, may be copy/paste, HTML formatting is added. The engineers are working on it.

This thread is full of examples the same as yours, and when I Google, " Open Documents Suddenly Become Read-Only ", I see lists full of the same problem, but with no definitive solution that I can find.

I don't even have a workaround to offer you because the Google examples as well as the options given here all seem to work or don't work, intermittently.

Perhaps a couple of ideas though;

1] Delete Word's Normal.dot file. When Word is re-opened it will recreate it, but beware, if you have modified Normal.dot with your own Word formatting, that will be lost.

2] Open this document from within Word. Then open a New Document. Copy/Paste the contents of the existing document to the blank one. Save this new document to some other folder then test over a period of time.

I don't guarantee anything as I am as mystified about this as everyone.

Mark

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HERE IS THE SOLUTION... TADAN!!!

by HolyDoomWitch - 11/29/11 8:29 AM

In Reply to: It's a complete mystery by MarkFlax

H! Everyone
Looks like some people are REALLY frustrated at this problem. HERE IS THE SOLUTION, TADAN...!!!
I also migrated to Win 7 x64 from Win XP x64, and still used the same Enterprise Edition 2007, with choosing to save documents as "doc" option instead of "docx". And my father started getting this problem. Now not like this was the first time for this problem. I remember this problem being a PIA (pain in the ass) even many years back; and you can even get old forums on the net (probably all of them unsolved of course!).
I had to research a bit. I created a "doc" by copying the contents of one such document, on the desktop, worked fine. Pasted in E:\My Documents
(where I store all the app docs), could not save. I pasted the same in D- fine again! So is something wrong with the folder E:\My Documents? I pasted just in the E drive, and problem again. Of course now you know the problem, and probably even the solution.
Considering I had not formatted this E drive since my last OS, I guessed that even the permissions from a last OS have to be owned on the new OS before a folder lets you open it. But permissions are a very strict matter. So I thought that may be the old boot information of drive E is messing with the new boot information of the Word application that is running from drive C, the newly formatted drive. And I had formatted even drive D a couple days ago, after Win 7!
And so, I moved all the E data to drive D, formatted E (a full format; though a quick should be all you need), then moved data back again, and the problem is gone.
Now, they don't call me R&D man just like that. I am like that in everything. (Incidentally, don't use the "Move" command; ALWAYS use only the "copy" command which is risk free. I had multiple backup so I used "move", though even then "move" was useless.)
Yo!

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Cool but given you have the Enterprise Edition.

by R. Proffitt - 11/29/11 12:56 PM

In Reply to: HERE IS THE SOLUTION... TADAN!!! by HolyDoomWitch

Why would you be on the phone getting your money's worth for that version. That version is very expensive and included some unearthly support.
Bob

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Phone? Support?

by HolyDoomWitch - 11/30/11 1:12 AM

In Reply to: Cool but given you have the Enterprise Edition. by R. Proffitt

Phone?! Support?! You must have
not
said this to me, right? This is my first post here.
Thx

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The Enterprise version is one that support is good.

by R. Proffitt - 12/1/11 10:18 AM

In Reply to: Phone? Support? by HolyDoomWitch

You or your company paid for this in a suitcase of cash. My question was missing a word but I still wonder why a person or company that ponied up all that cash for the Enterprise would not use what they paid for.
Bob

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Hah. Support.

by HolyDoomWitch - 12/12/11 3:34 PM

In Reply to: The Enterprise version is one that support is good. by R. Proffitt

Ah! Mr. Bob!

You still on the old question! Okay!

May be because they (the MS support; no matter HOW unearthly they are!) don't know the solution I gave here! And I don't know if you would believe me or not, but I can tell, what to ask them and what not!

Now I don't know your status, but I have experienced- and to my horror- that these support personnel are the most idiot human beings in the world! Bigger the company, bigger the idiots! Names? You want names of the companies as examples? How about AMD, Intel, Sapphire, Yahoo, Logitech, Nvidia for starters!

Looks like you have not even asked a computer support engineer FROM A COMPANY, and told him that you are having some minor problem in your Windows, who replied back to you saying "why don't you format and reinstall?!"

Bye!

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Actually I have made such queries.

by R. Proffitt - 12/12/11 3:40 PM

In Reply to: Hah. Support. by HolyDoomWitch

And I only get the great support on the 2 enterprise software titles we have. The rest are as good as you wrote.

We don't have problems in the Windows systems at the office, home or field. Why? At this point I have to reveal that the office is stuffed with Windows/Android/Apple programmers. Almost all the folk are experts in one field or another.

Bye!

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Solution to fix Word files becoming Read-Only

by various777 - 1/5/12 7:42 PM

In Reply to: Word files suddenly become read only by 1Chris

I had similar problem with MSWord 2003, after copy pasting all Document folders to a new Hard Drive, while upgrading to a bigger one.

Finally what fixed it for me was when I did all of the following:
1) Change my standard user account type to Administrator (via Control Panel>User Accounts)

- Very Important

2) Then in this
standard user account, navigate to each root folder containing documents (eg. My
Documents).

3) On each root folder change the Read Only attribute as follows: RightClik>Properties>Uncheck Read Only>Apply>accept
default Apply change to all folders and subfolders>OK

I was then able to edit prior MS word docs in
my standard user account as desired, including
after I removed Administrator powers
from this account, and including
after I logged out, and then logged back
in again, without Administrator powers
on my standard account.

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Simple solution nobody else mentioned

by Ares_Georgiad - 1/26/12 3:06 AM

In Reply to: Word files suddenly become read only by 1Chris

Hi,
Answer probably too late for you but it might be of help to other people searching for answers.
The problem was bothering me for the last couple of hours and I've tried everything suggested on the web (like changing folders' properties - untick read only - changing attributes) etc. This might of course help but I've found the problem lies somewhere else:
- If you run windows 7 and your windows explorer has the preview on - THAT IS THE PROBLEM
- Go to the right corner of windows explorer and click on the "hide preview panel"
- Your files can now be deleted (something impossible before - in the read only mode) and you can make changes in your existing word files without having to rename them
Good luck
Ares the Greek

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Word Read only

by PhilipCohen2 - 1/26/12 12:16 PM

In Reply to: Simple solution nobody else mentioned by Ares_Georgiad

I'm using Office 2003 on Windows 7 x64 on new Intel i7
hardware with 12GB of RAM.

My now problem Word files are not now and never have been
literally "read only". It is only Word that decides that the files
will be deemed to be read-only. I can have several Word files open at the same
time and, on occasions, on only the second save, the file will go read-only.

Nothing I have tried has fixed the problem.

On my previous hardware I was running XP and never had
the problem with any Word file; however I did have the problem with an Excel
file that I used to keep open for editing, but then only very occasionally and
the problem only arose after many saves.

Has no one at Microsoft personally observed this problem?

Microsoft should be aware of and should have fixed this
most irritating problem by now.

Get your finger out Bill ...

Note: This post was edited by a forum moderator to remove HTML codes as a result from copying and pasting from MS Word on 01/26/2012 at 1:04 PM PT

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Word "read only"

by PhilipCohen2 - 1/26/12 12:21 PM

In Reply to: Simple solution nobody else mentioned by Ares_Georgiad

I'm using Office 2003 on Windows 7 x64 on new Intel i7 hardware with 12GB of RAM.

My now problem Word files are not now and never have been literally "read only". It is only Word that decides that the files will be deemed to be read-only. I can have several Word files open at the same time and, on occasions, on only the second save, the file will go read-only.

Nothing I have tried has fixed the problem.

On my previous hardware I was running XP and never had the problem with any Word file; however I did have the problem with an Excel file that I used to keep open for editing, but then only very occasionally and the problem only arose after many saves.
Has no one at Microsoft personally observed this problem?

Microsoft should be aware of and should have fixed this most irritating problem by now.

Get your finger out Bill ...

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