Microsoft Knowledge Base

MXL5: "Volume Is Locked" Error Opening File on CD-ROM Drive
Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
Article ID: Q124755
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 4.0, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you open a file from a compact disc, you may receive the following error message 

   Cannot save <filename> because the volume is locked
where <filename is the name of the file that you want to open.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if you are opening a file that was written to the disc in Read/Write mode, for example if the file was written to a recordable compact disc.

This behavior occurs because when you open a file in Microsoft Excel, the application writes a short record (your user name) to the file so that when a second person opens the file, they receive a dialog box with the information that the file is in use by (your user name). Microsoft Excel does this when it determines that the file is located on read/write media.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this problem, use any of the following methods.

Method 1: Save the file to the disc as Read Only, or change the attributes 

          of the file to Read Only after saving the file.
Method 2: On the Macintosh, lock the file using the Get Info dialog box 
          before opening the file in Microsoft Excel.

KBCategory: kb3rdparty kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: xlmac

Additional reference words: 5.00 Pinnacle Micro RCD 202



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Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
©1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Legal Notices.