You receive a "Word cannot save or create this file" error message when you try to save a file on a network drive in Word 2002 and in Word 2003 (290982)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Word 2003
  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q290982
For a Microsoft Word 2000 version of this article, see 212370.

For a Microsoft Word 97 version of this article, see 108918.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to save a file in Microsoft Word document format on a network drive, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Word cannot save or create this file. Make sure the disk is not full or write protected. pathfilename
Word cannot save or create this file. The disk may be full or write-protected. Try one or more of the following:
*Free more memory.
*Make sure that the disk you want to save the file on is not full, write-protected, or damaged.
Note Sometimes you can save the file the first time to a network drive, but the error occurs when you try to save the file a second time.

Similarly, when you open a Word document from a network drive, the following error message may appear:
Cannot open document.
You do not receive these error messages if you save the file to your local hard disk or floppy disk drive. Similarly, you do not receive the error message if you save the file to a network drive in a file format other than Word Document format, such as Word for Windows 2.0 format or RTF (Rich Text Format).

You receive these error messages when you use a real-mode network protocol instead of the normal Microsoft Windows system network drivers.

CAUSE

You cannot save Word documents on a network drive if your network operating system file-sharing and file-locking capabilities are not turned on or are set too low.

You can save in other file formats on a network drive, because the file converters do not use the Storage.dll file. The Storage.dll file requires file-locking capabilities.

WORKAROUND

To temporarily work around this "Cannot save or create file" problem, do one of the following:
  • Save your document to a local hard disk or floppy disk.
  • Save the document on the network drive in a different file format, such as Word for Windows 2.0.
  • Save the file to the local hard drive and move it to the network drive. You must have your network administrator remove this file if nobody is using it.

RESOLUTION

To avoid receiving these error messages, have your network administrator turn on or increase the range-locking settings for your network.

For more information about the file-sharing and file-locking capabilities of your network, see your specific network documentation.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:3/23/2006
Keywords:kbsavefile kbnetwork kbprb KB290982 kbAudEndUser
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