Drive Connection Persists (Jump Drive) after close

[lameid]

This is more of annoyance than anything but I thought there may be some insight at least to why if not how to fix it.

I have noticed since I have been using a jump drive to transfer files that if I open a file in an office application on the jump drive, I have to exit that application before I can safely remove the drive (after I have closed the document of course). I tend to do this if I am in a hurry and already have 3 other documents running and do not want to wait to copy it first. Which makes it cumbersome to remove the drive which I do for both security reasons and to move data between systems.

Of course I can just copy it via the GUI / Synctoy to avoid the problem but I was wondering if there are any other workarounds to clear the office Apps connection to the drive (predominitately Excel but others as well).

 

[kjv1611]

1. Wrong forum.
2. Simple answer: no.

The reason is that when you open a file, whatever the location, it is still "in that location". If you set your Windows Explorer view options to view hidden files and folders, you would see the hidden temp files for that document on your flash/thumb drive. So, yes, parts of it are stored in RAM, but that doesn't matter - Windows has to associate the data with a real location - where they use the temp files in the original file location.

This is definitely not an office issue. It'd be either a hardware issue or Windows issue, but really there is no issue - that is how it is supposed to work.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[lameid]

kjv1611,

You have completely missed the point.

It is an office issue as the lock persists AFTER I CLOSE THE DOCUMENT.

It is not any other software or hardware issue because it is repeatable and Office Apps are clearly the culprit.

By your argument because I have ever used a file on the jump drive, I should expect it to be locked and never be able to remove it.

 

[kjv1611]

==>(after I have closed the document of course).


Oh, you mean that part? So sure you are. Sorry. Hopefully I won't have another of such anytime soon.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[lameid]

No worries... It sat long enough that I don't think anyone has an answer anyway.

My searches have come up empty handed... I've seen similar posts on various fora about general locking on network shares and no solutions to that either.

The one that really got my goat was the saving of a zip file from Outlook that made me close Outlook to get my drive.

 

[kjv1611]

I don't know if it's related at all, but I know that I've noticed with Excel 2007, most of the time, if you close a workbook, the application remains open. However, if you open that workbook from within, maybe MS Access, when you close it, it'll close the entire application - at least that's what it seemed like the other day. I didn't test to verify for certain.

That kind of discrepancy makes me wonder if that perhaps such instances are occurring b/c some new programming inside the Office apps is not properly releasing memory, and closing out temp/lock files, thus causing all the various minor issues.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[fumei]

Just to confirm....

"I have to exit that application before I can safely remove the drive "

This means you get the old "You have been a bad dog and removed something unsafely." message?

Does it fact make a difference? Is it so unsafe that you have detected errors/corruption in a file?

In any case, I never do this as I do not trust Windows. Although I can understand why people DO do this - open files directly from a jump drive. I simply never do, I copy and work from the copied file, then copy new versions back to the jump drive.

Interestingly enough, this does NOT occur - or so it seems - with XP and Office 2002 (XP) apps. I just did it. Opened a Word file from a jump drive. Saved and closed the file. I had two Word documents also open, but they are from a local hard drive. They are still open. Word is still open (duh, obviously). I removed the jump drive, with no problems. Mo messages, nothing. I did not have to exit the application like you appear to have to do.

I stick the jump drive back in, the file is there all tickety-boo.

So.....

What version of Office are you using? You do not state this, and this is always a good idea to do so.

What applications is affected? ALL of them? Only Word, but Excel works fine?

What OS are you using? Also a good idea to mention in posts. For all we know you could be asking about Windows 7 and and Office 2007, or maybe Windows 7 and Office 2003?

I suspect kjv is correct in that - depending on what versions you using - it is more than likely sloppy memory release on Windows part. (What else is new?)

But again, using XP (the OS) and Office 2002, I can not duplicate this whatsoever.

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Gerry

 

[lameid]

I don't ever get the "bad dog" message. I always use the "Safely Remove Hardware" applet. It tells me that the drive is in use. And I'm thinking, well the OS and Synctoy have not peristed locks before, it must be the Office Apps I'm using (confirmed by closing documents and then the application when closing documents didn't work).

One machine Windows XP SP2 with Novell Netware (hmmm curious SP3 hasn't been tested and rolled out). That machine has Office 2007 Standard Sp2 + Access 2003 Sp3. This is also the machine where the saving the zip file occured. This is my company provided computer (1.73 Ghz, 2 GB Ram, Laptop, drive encryption). In short it is slow and when the HD failed it took 3 days to get it fixed. So as an independant contractor paid by the hour, I use my laptop to avoid not being able to work for the poor support and losing any more of my thinning hair from pulling it out because of performance.

The other (my) machine is Vista Home 64 bit SP2 with Office Pro 2003 SP3 (Dual core 2GHz, 4 GB Ram, Laptop).

I have noticed the issue in Word, Excel and Access (never opened the MDB but imported an object) on the Vista/2003 machine and Outlook and Excel on the XP/2007 machine. I have not taken the time to fully test all the permutations as I am simply trying to avoid the issue at present. At least I already have Synctoy set up to copy the files so it is relatively quick to start the copy but like I said sometimes it is more convenient to do things the other way. It is an annoyance that effects my productivity. It is not a show stopper.

I've also been contemplating taking the time to set up a Bluetooth PAN or 802.11g Peer to Peer. But that is a whole other can of worms considering the work computer has a third party wireless networking app that I sometimes need and I have not dug around my computer to find Bluetooth Pan support. All that is a whole other forum but there is plenty of information for 90% of the issues there anyway.