Word Opens Master Document as Read-Only

• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

After you save a master document, close it, and reopen it, Word may open the document as read-only.

CAUSE

As in Word 6.0, Word 7.0 opens a Master Document as read-only if you are not the author. To determine who the author is, Word looks at the Author field on the Summary tab of the File Properties dialog box and compares the name to the Name field on the User Info tab in the Tools Options dialog box. If they don't match, Word opens the file as read-only.

However, unlike Word 6.0, Word 7.0 saves the Author name from the Tools Options User Info tab when the Master document is created (File New) instead of when the document is saved for the first time. So it is possible to start a new document, change the name in the Name field of the User Info tab in Tools Options, add subdocuments, save the master document, and then have the master document reopen as read-only because, at this point, the Author name will not match the User name.

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows.

WORKAROUND

To open the master document so that you can make changes to the file, change the Name field on the User Info tab in Tools Options so it matches the Author field in the document properties of the main document. When you close and then reopen the master document, Word opens it as read-write.

To prevent the creation of a master document with an incorrect Author name, verify that the Name field on the User Info tab in Tools Options is correct before creating a new document, or verify the Author name on the Summary tab in File Properties is correct before saving master documents for the first time.