WD2000: Error Msg: "Serious disk error on file <filename>"

ID: Q224014

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 2000

ERROR MESSAGE

While you are saving a document or while Microsoft Word is performing an automatic save for AutoRecovery, the following error message appears:

Serious disk error on file <filename>.
NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address:
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/alerts.htm
NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.


CAUSE

You may not have a valid Windows Temp directory and/or a correct AutoRecover path.

Anti-virus protection software is turned on and has locked your document from changes.

The AutoRecover path is pointed to an NTFS partition.

Document management system programs may be overriding default Word commands for saving documents.

Macros or add-ins are turned on that may be overriding default Word commands for saving documents.

The AutoRecover path you are using doesn't allow long file names.

The Always create backup copy option is turned on.

Your AutoRecover path is set to a network drive.

Your AutoRecover path is a shared location.

Your AutoRecover path is too long.

The Fast Save and Background Save options are turned on.

Your computer doesn't have sufficient free hard disk space.


WHAT TO TRY

You may not have a valid Windows Temp directory and/or a correct AutoRecover path.

Determine whether you have a valid Windows Temp directory and set the AutoRecover path on the File Locations tab (on the Tools menu, click Options) to the valid Temp directory.
For additional information about temporary files, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q89247 How Word for Windows Uses Temporary Files


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Anti-virus protection software is turned on and has locked your document from changes.

Temporarily disable any anti-virus protection software on your computer. Also, if Word is run from a network server, contact your network administrator and have the administrator temporarily disable any anti-virus protection software running on the server.

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The AutoRecover path is pointed to an NTFS partition.

Change the AutoRecover path to a non-NTFS partition, using these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  2. Click the File Locations tab.


  3. Select AutoRecover files, and then click Modify.


  4. Select the folder on the non-NTFS partition you want to use, and then click OK.


  5. Click OK again.





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Document management system programs may be overriding default Word commands for saving documents.

If you are using a document management system such as PCDocs, set it to ignore the AutoRecover path, or temporarily turn it off so you can determine whether the problem continues.

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Macros or add-ins may be overriding default Word commands for saving documents.

To turn off add-in programs:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Templates and Add-Ins.


  2. Under Global templates and add-ins, click to clear the check box next to the template or add-in you want to turn off.


Tip: If a template or add-in program is stored in your startup folder, it is loaded automatically each time you start Word. To locate or change your Startup setting, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the File Locations tab.

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The AutoRecover path you are using doesn't allow long file names.

Determine whether long file names are allowed on the server. If not, change the AutoRecover path to a drive where long file names are allowed.

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The Always create backup copy option is turned on.

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  2. Click the Save tab.


  3. Click to clear the Always create backup copy check box.


  4. Click OK.


For additional information about Always create backup copy, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q122379 WD97: Err Saving Document: 'Network or File Permission Error'


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Your AutoRecover path is set to a network drive.

This problem may occur when the AutoRecover path is set to a network drive. To prevent this problem from occurring, set the AutoRecover path to a local drive, or turn off the Save AutoRecover info every option. To set the AutoRecover path, use these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  2. Click the File Locations tab.


  3. Select AutoRecover files, and then click Modify.


  4. Select the folder you want to use for the AutoRecover path, and click OK.


  5. Click OK again.



To turn off the Save AutoRecover info every option, use these steps:

NOTE: If you turn this option off, Word cannot recover your active document in the event of a failure to your system (for example, an invalid page fault or loss of power).
  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  2. Click the Save tab.


  3. Click to clear the Save AutoRecover info every check box.


  4. Click OK.




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Your AutoRecover path is a shared location.

Verify that the AutoRecover path is not a shared location, which is accessed by multiple users. If it is, stop sharing the location, or use a non-shared location.

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Your AutoRecover path is too long.

If you are using a long path for the AutoRecover path, shorten the path.

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The Fast Save and Background Save options are turned on.

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  2. Click the Save tab.


  3. Click to clear the Allow Fast Saves and the Allow Background Saves check boxes.


  4. Click OK.




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Your computer doesn't have sufficient free hard disk space.

If you have less than 5-10 megabytes (MB) of free hard disk space, free up some space.

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Additional query words: OFF2000

Keywords : kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: June 21, 1999
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