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# Err Msg: File Manager Cannot Lock Volume

Article ID: 113617

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1

This article was previously published under Q113617

## SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to format a floppy disk from File Manager, the following error message appears:
File Manager cannot lock volume.

## CAUSE

This error message appears when another process on your computer has access to the floppy disk drive and File Manager cannot access it.
Access to the floppy disk drive is limited to one process at a time. When a process accesses the floppy disk drive, it "locks" the drive for its exclusive use, even though the process may not be physically accessing the drive at all times.
The most common cause of this error message appearing is when a command prompt is left at the drive A or drive B prompt.

## WORKAROUND

To work around this problem if a command prompt has been left at the drive A or drive B prompt, switch to the command prompt application and change the prompt to drive C, or quit the command prompt application.
To work around this problem if another application has locked the drive, change the focus of that application to another drive, or quit the application.

Additional query words: prodnt

Keywords: KB113617