WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, use one of the following methods, depending on your situation.
Method 1: Require a password to open the document for changes
When a file is opened as read-only, any additional access by another user will always be read-only. This occurs because Word creates an "owner" file when a document is opened. The purpose of the owner file is to let Word manage the locking of the document and to control access to the document.
For example, when a user who has read permissions opens a document, and then a second user who has read/write permissions opens the same document, the document opens as read-only for the second user.
To work around this issue, the document should be saved by using the
Password to modify option.
To save a document by using the
Password to modify option, follow these steps:
- Open the document in Word.
- On the File menu, click Save As.
- On the Tools menu in the Save As dialog box, click Security Options.
- In the Password to modify box, type a password for the document, and then click OK.
- In the Confirm Password dialog box, retype the same password, and then click OK.
If the document has been saved by using the
Password to modify option, subsequent users can open the document as expected by providing the password.
Method 2: Modify the document in Word
By default, when you open a document from a SharePoint Portal Server 2003 document library, the document is opened as read-only.
To open the document so that you can make changes, click the arrow next to the file name in the document library. Then, click
Edit in Microsoft Office Word.