Password Issue

[Tom Hall]

Using Word 2003 I've made the discovery that it doesn't seem to matter if a
document is passworded for either read-only or editing; all I have to do
is hit ESC when prompted for the password and the file opens up ready for
editing. The only difference seems to be that keyboard macros don't work
when a file is opened in this manner.

I'm surprised something this obvious hasn't been fixed - or is there
something wrong with my installation of Office 2003 Professional?

Tom

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

That is not the case here. While you can when opening the document click on
the Read Only button to open the document, if you modify it and then try and
save it with the same file name, you will not be able to do so. You can
however save it with a different name.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Tom Hall]

That is not the case here. While you can when opening the document click on
the Read Only button to open the document, if you modify it and then try and
save it with the same file name, you will not be able to do so. You can
however save it with a different name.

Unfortunately, it IS the case here. I can open the file without supplying a
password, make changes and save the file under it's original name.
Reopening the file reveals the previously made changes.

I even added a second prompt for a password to modify the file, so the user
gets prompted for two passwords (in this case they are the same).

Open file, press ESC at the password prompt and you're in.


Tom

 

[Tom Hall]

Unfortunately, it IS the case here. I can open the file without supplying a
password, make changes and save the file under it's original name.
Reopening the file reveals the previously made changes.

I even added a second prompt for a password to modify the file, so the user
gets prompted for two passwords (in this case they are the same).

Open file, press ESC at the password prompt and you're in.

I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but the documents I'm
referring to are actually created by opening a .dot file which I previously
saved specifying a password for both open and modifying (same password for
each). Double-clicking the .dot file creates a blank document where the
user is prompted twice to enter a password. Again, ESC appears to bypass
the password process completely.

The only thing that appears different about these opened documents is that
macros assigned to keyboard shortcuts appear not to work.


Tom

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

That makes a world of difference. When you double click on a template, a
NEW document is created. You are not opening the template, to which you had
applied the password.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Tom Hall]

That makes a world of difference. When you double click on a template, a
NEW document is created. You are not opening the template, to which you had
applied the password.

Interesting. Using the same template I mentioned previously, I created a
new document, specifying both a read and a write password. When I closed
and reopened the document, I was prompted for the password FOUR times, and
had to supply the password all four times before I was allowed to view the
contents of the file.

With the information you've provided, it seems that passwording the .dot
file is useless if the resulting document is not also explicitly
passworded.

Thank you.


Tom