shared .xls is locked for editing...

We have a "shared" Excel 2000 spreadsheet that various users can access.
Whenever one particular user has it open, and another user attempts to open
it, it always says that a completely different user (other than who actually
has it open) has it open for editing.

Today for instance, this particular user I am referring to above had it open
("jnewitt"). Another user ("slockwood") attempted to open the spreadsheet as
well using her Win2K terminal services session, and was told that the file
was locked for editing by user "slockwood" - the same user who was
attempting to open it in the first place. Clearly incorrect reporting by
Excel!

I made sure she did not have a lock on it at all by checking system
resources on teh Win2K server etc... and she did not. I finally discovered
who actually did have the file open and it was the "problem" user referred
to above.

Why would Excel always be reporting the wrong username for this user? Where
is Excel actually obtaining the username that has the file open from?? We
have had problems with this user before - but only this user!!!. It will
never give his username if he has it open - it is always a different
username. Usually it shows as "draft4" - a user that does not even exist on
our systems any longer!!!

This user runs an XP Professional machine (upgraded from WIn98) and logs
onto it locally using his username "jnewitt". Like I said earlier, anytime
he has a spreadsheet open and another user attempts to open the same one,
they always get a message that "user draft4 has it open for editing" - of
course draft4 does not even exist as a user - and is not a local user on his
machine either. In fact I searched his entire registry for any reference to
"draft4" and found none. Somewhere it is buried on the machine and Excel is
using it, thinking that draft4 is the logged on user!!!

Does anyone have any ideas on this issue or where Excel might be getting
this from??

Thanks,

Brad

This article may help.

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=826741

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Brad Pears" wrote:
| We have a "shared" Excel 2000 spreadsheet that various users can access.
| Whenever one particular user has it open, and another user attempts to
open
| it, it always says that a completely different user (other than who
actually
| has it open) has it open for editing.
|
| Today for instance, this particular user I am referring to above had it
open
| ("jnewitt"). Another user ("slockwood") attempted to open the spreadsheet
as
| well using her Win2K terminal services session, and was told that the file
| was locked for editing by user "slockwood" - the same user who was
| attempting to open it in the first place. Clearly incorrect reporting by
| Excel!
|
| I made sure she did not have a lock on it at all by checking system
| resources on teh Win2K server etc... and she did not. I finally discovered
| who actually did have the file open and it was the "problem" user
referred
| to above.
|
| Why would Excel always be reporting the wrong username for this user?
Where
| is Excel actually obtaining the username that has the file open from?? We
| have had problems with this user before - but only this user!!!. It will
| never give his username if he has it open - it is always a different
| username. Usually it shows as "draft4" - a user that does not even exist
on
| our systems any longer!!!
|
| This user runs an XP Professional machine (upgraded from WIn98) and logs
| onto it locally using his username "jnewitt". Like I said earlier, anytime
| he has a spreadsheet open and another user attempts to open the same one,
| they always get a message that "user draft4 has it open for editing" - of
| course draft4 does not even exist as a user - and is not a local user on
his
| machine either. In fact I searched his entire registry for any reference
to
| "draft4" and found none. Somewhere it is buried on the machine and Excel
is
| using it, thinking that draft4 is the logged on user!!!
|
| Does anyone have any ideas on this issue or where Excel might be getting
| this from??
|
| Thanks,
|
| Brad
|
|

Interesting... So the username is being written in the header of the Excel
file...

I still wonder how it is writing a username that does not even exist on our
systems though... Where could it be getting that from??

bizarre...
"Dave Patrick" <mail@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:ewfIfkh4EHA.3416@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> This article may help.
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=826741
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> Microsoft Certified Professional
> Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
> "Brad Pears" wrote:
> | We have a "shared" Excel 2000 spreadsheet that various users can access.
> | Whenever one particular user has it open, and another user attempts to
> open
> | it, it always says that a completely different user (other than who
> actually
> | has it open) has it open for editing.
> |
> | Today for instance, this particular user I am referring to above had it
> open
> | ("jnewitt"). Another user ("slockwood") attempted to open the
spreadsheet
> as
> | well using her Win2K terminal services session, and was told that the
file
> | was locked for editing by user "slockwood" - the same user who was
> | attempting to open it in the first place. Clearly incorrect reporting by
> | Excel!
> |
> | I made sure she did not have a lock on it at all by checking system
> | resources on teh Win2K server etc... and she did not. I finally
discovered
> | who actually did have the file open and it was the "problem" user
> referred
> | to above.
> |
> | Why would Excel always be reporting the wrong username for this user?
> Where
> | is Excel actually obtaining the username that has the file open from??
We
> | have had problems with this user before - but only this user!!!. It will
> | never give his username if he has it open - it is always a different
> | username. Usually it shows as "draft4" - a user that does not even exist
> on
> | our systems any longer!!!
> |
> | This user runs an XP Professional machine (upgraded from WIn98) and logs
> | onto it locally using his username "jnewitt". Like I said earlier,
anytime
> | he has a spreadsheet open and another user attempts to open the same
one,
> | they always get a message that "user draft4 has it open for editing" -
of
> | course draft4 does not even exist as a user - and is not a local user on
> his
> | machine either. In fact I searched his entire registry for any reference
> to
> | "draft4" and found none. Somewhere it is buried on the machine and Excel
> is
> | using it, thinking that draft4 is the logged on user!!!
> |
> | Does anyone have any ideas on this issue or where Excel might be getting
> | this from??
> |
> | Thanks,
> |
> | Brad
> |
> |
>
>

More than likely the 'problem' user profile is corrupt.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Brad Pears" wrote:
| Interesting... So the username is being written in the header of the
Excel
| file...
|
| I still wonder how it is writing a username that does not even exist on
our
| systems though... Where could it be getting that from??
|
| bizarre...

I'm fairly sure the "username" that Excel reports is the Office User
Information name and not the Windows username. In Word (it only seems to be
accessible via Word) go to Options - User Information tab.

Simon

"Brad Pears" <donotreply@notreal.com> wrote in message
news:e0rIDVh4EHA.1524@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> We have a "shared" Excel 2000 spreadsheet that various users can access.
> Whenever one particular user has it open, and another user attempts to
open
> it, it always says that a completely different user (other than who
actually
> has it open) has it open for editing.
>
> Today for instance, this particular user I am referring to above had it
open
> ("jnewitt"). Another user ("slockwood") attempted to open the spreadsheet
as
> well using her Win2K terminal services session, and was told that the file
> was locked for editing by user "slockwood" - the same user who was
> attempting to open it in the first place. Clearly incorrect reporting by
> Excel!
>
> I made sure she did not have a lock on it at all by checking system
> resources on teh Win2K server etc... and she did not. I finally discovered
> who actually did have the file open and it was the "problem" user
referred
> to above.
>
> Why would Excel always be reporting the wrong username for this user?
Where
> is Excel actually obtaining the username that has the file open from?? We
> have had problems with this user before - but only this user!!!. It will
> never give his username if he has it open - it is always a different
> username. Usually it shows as "draft4" - a user that does not even exist
on
> our systems any longer!!!
>
> This user runs an XP Professional machine (upgraded from WIn98) and logs
> onto it locally using his username "jnewitt". Like I said earlier, anytime
> he has a spreadsheet open and another user attempts to open the same one,
> they always get a message that "user draft4 has it open for editing" - of
> course draft4 does not even exist as a user - and is not a local user on
his
> machine either. In fact I searched his entire registry for any reference
to
> "draft4" and found none. Somewhere it is buried on the machine and Excel
is
> using it, thinking that draft4 is the logged on user!!!
>
> Does anyone have any ideas on this issue or where Excel might be getting
> this from??
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brad
>
>

That appears to be an application setting. Nothing to do with the document
itself.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Simon" wrote:
| I'm fairly sure the "username" that Excel reports is the Office User
| Information name and not the Windows username. In Word (it only seems to
be
| accessible via Word) go to Options - User Information tab.
|
| Simon

"Dave Patrick" <mail@Nospam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:O1XrNHk4EHA.3472@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> That appears to be an application setting. Nothing to do with the document
> itself.

But as I said, if user B tries to open an office document that is already is
use by user A, office will report that (I'm paraphrasing) "qqq.xls is
already in user by USER" where USER is the name from the office "user
information" and not the logged on (ie domain or local computer) user.

Simon

I thought about this after I posted and just finished a couple of tests.
Yes, you're quite correct this is where the text of USER comes from.
Excel|Tools|Options|General|User name: I still believe it points to
corruption in the 'problem user' user profile.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Simon" wrote:
| But as I said, if user B tries to open an office document that is already
is
| use by user A, office will report that (I'm paraphrasing) "qqq.xls is
| already in user by USER" where USER is the name from the office "user
| information" and not the logged on (ie domain or local computer) user.
|
| Simon
|
|