Microsoft KB Archive/124755

= 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 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.