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General discussion

Excel "Locked for Editing" Condition

Jul 22, 2005 2:49AM PDT

I have an Excel 2003 workbook that keeps getting the dreaded "Locked for Editing" condition. The only way I know of to clear it is to reboot, which has become a REAL nuisance. I am the only one using this computer and I have no shared resources. I have about 26 workbooks, most of which I reference each day without a problem. I can't determine when the "L for E" condition occurs. It doesn't always occur after use. But for some unknown reason, when I open the workbook, there it is. So I can make changes but I can't save them, except to a workbook with another name. This is not a new workbook ... I've been using it for several years. Any ideas??

Discussion is locked

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That error occrus
Jul 22, 2005 7:45AM PDT

when you already have that particular file open in an Excel window. If, for exampke, you have been working with File1.xls and then minimize it, you may forget it is open. Later you want to work on File1.xls again, and try to open it in a new Excell window. You will get the error message because it is already open.

The error also occurs, of course, if one ''user'' has a shared file open and then another tries to open it.

The next time you get this message, check your open and minimized windows for an already open copy. Then you should go to that window to work on it.

BTW, the exact same thing happens with Word files.

Hope this helps

Frank

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The Excel "Locked for Editing" Problem
Jul 23, 2005 4:03AM PDT

[quote]when you already have that particular file open in an Excel window. If, for exampke, you have been working with File1.xls and then minimize it, you may forget it is open. Later you want to work on File1.xls again, and try to open it in a new Excell window. You will get the error message because it is already open.[/quote]

Thanx for the advice. I am aware of the ''minimize'' threat, and that is not the case. Anyway, if that happened, Excel tells me that I already have the file open, and asks if I want to open it again. This situation occurs when I have opened just that one workbook. It's not a new problem to me. I had the same problem with other workbooks when I was using Excel 2000.
More recently the problem got so bad that I changed all my automatic links in most of my workbooks to ''manual'' links, and that has helped enormously. But for some reason this one workbook started doing it again. I'll probably have to rebuild the workbook to correct it.
Thanx again.