so confused about write protect

G

Guest

i have been reading about write-protect. I still don't
understand how the disc got "write-protected" in the
first place. I know my cd-rw is not full but I keep
getting an error that my changes to a file can't be
changed or copied because of a write protected cd.
 
T

TF

Documents written to a removable media such as CD-RW will have the read only
attribute applied. Use Explorer to simply copy the document back to your
hard drive, right-click on it, select Properties and clear the read only
attribute.

--
Terry Farrell - Word MVP
http://www.mvps.org/word/

i have been reading about write-protect. I still don't
understand how the disc got "write-protected" in the
first place. I know my cd-rw is not full but I keep
getting an error that my changes to a file can't be
changed or copied because of a write protected cd.
 
R

RWN

Terry has told you the reason why but I'd like to add my "two cents
worth" about saving/reading from a CD (or any removable media).
Don't do it!.
Always save to your HD and copy the file to the media. The same for
loading the file (copy to the HD and load the file from there - after
de-selecting the "read only").
I'm not sure why (speed considerations maybe?) but in my experience you
can cause file corruption by saving/loading directly to a CD/floppy.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

Temp files are more the issue than speed. Word creates an owner file in the
document folder when you open a document. If you have "Always create backup
copy" enabled, it creates a "Backup of <filename>.wbk" file the first time
you save (this is the previous version). Each time you save thereafter, it
creates a ~wrlxxxx.tmp file (the version before the *.wbk file). All of
these are created in the document location. If that location is a floppy
disk, it can fill up quickly. If that location is a read-only medium (and
Word regards all CDs, even CD-RWs as read-only), then this will not be
allowed at all. Moreover, when you close a file, Word has a lot of tidying
up to do. If you remove a floppy before it is finished with that
housekeeping, the document may be irretrievably damaged.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
R

RWN

Thanks for the explanation, now, if I may, I'd like test your patience a
little bit more;
Are you saying that Word will not allow you to save directly to a CD?
(I'd try it out but don't have a burner at home.)

As I said, in bygone years I've had bad experiences with removable media
and Word, mostly with floppies (probably for the reasons you've
enumerated) but I seem to recall one of my cohorts at work also getting
in trouble loading a Word file from a CD.

(Gettin' older so my memory may be degraded:))

Thanks for your time.
 
T

TF

There is a format for CDs that allows 'direct write' access. For example, it
allows you to drag and drop files onto the mapped CD in Explorer and it is
also possible to save directly from Word. But it doesn't work because of how
Word constructs its file format. Invariably, the temp file that Word needs
to write in the target directory cannot be overwritten or deleted by Word
and this confuses the hell out of it. The result is usually a corrupted (and
lost) document.

Terry


Thanks for the explanation, now, if I may, I'd like test your patience a
little bit more;
Are you saying that Word will not allow you to save directly to a CD?
(I'd try it out but don't have a burner at home.)

As I said, in bygone years I've had bad experiences with removable media
and Word, mostly with floppies (probably for the reasons you've
enumerated) but I seem to recall one of my cohorts at work also getting
in trouble loading a Word file from a CD.

(Gettin' older so my memory may be degraded:))

Thanks for your time.
 
R

RWN

That explains it - CD was formatted using Direct CD.
So, in the end, "thou shalt not load/save to any removable media" is a
good rule to live by.

Thanks
(looks like my memory is working after all, just needs a kick start once
in a while!)
 
J

JH

my dilemma is that I work on my laptop and it only has a cd drive, I have been battling with Microsoft Outlook and the inability to import data back into a computer that has been compromised or replaces for the last 4years...SO NOW how do I save all my contact and calendar data where I can import it back into my laptop should anything happen to it and also be able to move it to my other computer?
 
T

TF

This really is an Outlook question and this is a Word Newsgroup! However, we
are versatile here so...

Outlook stores all its data in the Outlook.PST and Archive.PST files. If you
check under Tools, Options, Other tab and click on the AutoArchive button,
you will find the setting where the archived mail is stored. On a
standalone, single user computer the default location is the same folder
where the Outlook.PST is stored: search your computer for *.pst files and
copy these regularly to a safe location. If the computer has to be rebuilt,
copying these pst files to replace the newly installed pst files will
restore back the original mail and calendar, etc. Alternatively, you can use
File, Import and Export dialog to simply copy back whatever you want.



: my dilemma is that I work on my laptop and it only has a cd drive, I have
been battling with Microsoft Outlook and the inability to import data back
into a computer that has been compromised or replaces for the last
4years...SO NOW how do I save all my contact and calendar data where I can
import it back into my laptop should anything happen to it and also be able
to move it to my other computer?
 
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