OFF98: "<File> is Locked" Error Using Unbind Program (177694)

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Unbind program that is included in the Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition Value Pack to unbind the sections in a binder, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

"<Bindername.obd>" is locked, so you will not be able to save any changes.

You receive this error message even though you are not actually making any changes to the binder file.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if the binder file you are unbinding is locked. Normally, a binder becomes locked in one of the following ways:

On a computer running Microsoft Windows, you right-click the binder, click Properties on the shortcut menu, and then click to select the Read-Only check box.
On a Macintosh computer, you select the binder, click Get Info on the File menu, and then click to select the Locked check box.

Also, if the binder is stored on a network share to which you have only read-only access, the binder may act as if it were locked.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, click OK when you receive the error message. The Unbind program correctly unbinds the sections in the binder, and places the new files in the same folder as the Unbind program.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The Unbind program included in the Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition Value Pack allows you to extract the sections out of a binder and save them as separate workbooks, documents, or presentations.

To use the Unbind program, follow these steps:

Start the Unbind program.
On the File menu, click Open Binder.
In the dialog box, select the binder with the sections you want to unbind. Then, click Open.
If you receive the error message in the "Symptoms" section, click OK.

The sections in the binder are unbound and stored as separate files in the same folder as the Unbind program. When you are done unbinding, click Quit on the File menu.