Microsoft KB Archive/138057

= Off Err Msg: The Folder "" Isn't Accessible. . . =

Article ID: 138057

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 95a
 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 95a
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Word 95a

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This article was previously published under Q138057



SYMPTOMS
When you try to save a document, one of the following error messages may appear

The folder " " isn't accessible. It may be on an unavailable volume, or protected with a password.

-or-

The filename, specification, or location is not valid. Check your typing.

-or-

The file name contents must specify a wildcard query, or the name of a single file to save.

where is the location you are saving the file to, and is the name of the file.



CAUSE
 The place where you are trying to save your file is not available.

-or-

 You are trying to save a file with an invalid character in the file name. Some characters have special purposes and aren't valid within file names. Examples of these characters are:

< (less-than sign)

> (greater-than sign)


 * (pipe)

/ (forward slash)

\ (backward slash)


 * (colon)





WORKAROUND
If the place where you are trying to save your file is unavailable, save the file to a different location.

If you have tried to use an unusual character in the file name, remove it from the file name.



STATUS
Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.



MORE INFORMATION
The following characters cannot be included in file names in Windows 95:

\ / * ? " < > | :

For example, the error message

The folder "(path)" isn't accessible. It may be on an unavailable volume, or protected with a password."

is either caused by a genuinely unavailable destination, or it can be caused by having the "<" or ">" symbol in the file name.

Similarly, the error message

The filename, specification, or location (filename) is not valid. Check your typing.

can be caused by including "/" or "\" in the name, as both of these characters are typically used when indicating a subfolder or network directory.

Depending on the placement of any of these characters, different error messages may be returned.

For example, trying to save a file named "test/test" (when there is no subfolder named "test") will return the following error message:

The folder "(path)" isn't accessible. It may be on an unavailable volume, or protected with a password.

On the other hand, trying to save a file named "test/" will return the following error message

Cannot save. "(filename)" is an invalid filename.

For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

142982 How Windows 95 Generates 8.3 File Names from Long File Names

120138 Errors Creating Files or Folders in the Root Directory

Additional query words: word95 word7 7.00a vertical bar diagonal 8.00 word8 word97 97 isn t

Keywords: KB138057

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