SOS Technical Reference Document
Copyright (c) 1994 by Synergistic Office Solutions, Inc.

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TOPIC..: Error 5, ACCESS DENIED / SHARING VIOLATION
Error 64, SHARING VIOLATION
REVISED: 03/01/95

SUMMARY ----------------------------------------------------------------

This error will occur when access to the drive or a needed file is not
possible. Some of the conditions that will trigger this error are:

1. Disk is full.
2. A file that should be read-write is set to read-only.
3. The DOS SHARE command is loaded, but the parameters are not
correct.
4. A file is locked, or has been opened in single user mode and
is currently in use.

DIAGNOSIS --------------------------------------------------------------

> Check to see if there is any more room on the disk. Remaining disk
space is displayed on the status line of the main menu in OM and CM.
You can also exit to the system prompt and type:

DIR and press <ENTER>

Inspect the last line that displays on the screen. Most versions of
DOS will report the amount of space (number of bytes) remaining.
Alternatively, if you are not on a network, you can use the command:

CHKDSK and press <ENTER>

Search through the numbers and you will find one that indicates the
amount of disk space available.

If you find that you have run out of disk space, then it is time to
start cleaning house, removing unnecessary programs and files from your
hard disk, or upgrading to one with more capacity.

> Every DOS file on your hard disk has "attributes" that can be set and
changed with the ATTRIB command. The particular attribute about
which we are concerned here is the "read-only" attribute. To make sure
that these file attributes are set correctly, change to your program
directory (the directory in which OM.EXE or CM.EXE is located). If you
are on a network, be sure that all users are out of all of the SOS
programs. At the system prompt, which in most cases will look like:

C:\OM> or C:\CM>

type:



Error 5 Page 2


ATTRIB -R *.* <ENTER>
ATTRIB +R OM.* <ENTER> (if CM, then substitute CM for OM)
ATTRIB +R *.OVL <ENTER>
ATTRIB +R *.EXE <ENTER>

If you are using CM, everything in the MAINDATA directory, as well as
any other data subdirectories (for either OM or CM) should be set to
read-write:

ATTRIB -R *.* <ENTER>

NOVELL NETWARE ----------------------------------------------------------

Novell has a feature similar to ATTRIB, called FLAG. When running on a
Novell network, you should be sure to FLAG all the data files as
shareable, read-write (SRW). The system supervisor must execute the
FLAG command in a similar fasion:

FLAG *.* SRW <ENTER>
FLAG OM.* SR <ENTER> (if CM, then substitute CM for OM)
FLAG *.OVL SR <ENTER>
FLAG *.EXE SR <ENTER>

If there are any separate data directories, just FLAG everything in
them as SRW:

FLAG *.* SRW <ENTER>

MICROSOFT WINDOWS AND OTHER MULTITASKING ENVIRONMENTS -----------------

Windows and other multitasking and task-switching environments and
utilities permit you to run more than one program at a time. If you
have a single user version of OM or CM and try to run the program when
it has already been started in another window, you will get an error 5.
You cannot run more than one copy of the program in the same data
directory at the same time unless you have purchased the network version
of the software.

To quickly display all programs currently running in Windows, just press
Ctrl-Esc (Hold the CTRL key down and press the ESC key). The current
task list will pop up. If another copy of OM or CM is already running,
you should see it in the list. Be suspicious of the entry "DOS Window".
If you were to click on the MSDOS icon in Windows, then start OM, this
is what you will see in the task list instead of "Office Manager".
Double click on the "DOS Window" entry to see what is actually running
there.

CORRECTION -------------------------------------------------------------

1. Disk Full: If the hard disk is full, you must remove any unneeded
files and programs. The first thing to do is to exit to the system
prompt, change to the root directory:

CD \ <ENTER>



Error 5 Page 3


and type:

DIR $*.* /S

to see if there are any large memory image files on the drive. SOS
applications create these rather large files when running other
programs, such as backup software, Report Writer, Electronic
Claims, and so on. Under certain circumstances, it is possible
that these files were not automatically erased as they should have
been. Inasmuch as each can be about half a megabyte in size, they
can waste quite a bit of disk space.

To delete them:

- If on a network or using Windows, be sure that no SOS programs
are currently in use.

- Change to the directory in which the $ files are located, for
example:

CD \OM <ENTER>

- Now type the delete command. Be very careful to type the
command EXACTLY as you see it here. A mistake here could erase
everything in the directory, including your data!

DEL $*.* <ENTER>

Note that there is no space between the "$" and the "*". If
the computer prompts you with "Are you sure?", type "N". When
you type the command properly there will be no prompt, just
a short pause before the command prompt returns.

2. File attributes incorrectly set: See the DIAGNOSIS section above
for instruction on the ATTRIB command and the NOVELL NETWARE section
for instruction on the FLAG command (Novell network users only).

3. Incorrect SHARE parameters: Inspect your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to see
if the word "SHARE" is there somewhere. In most cases, it will be
on a line something like this:

C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE

The above is totally inadequate for use with OM or CM as it provides
for no more than a couple of dozen simultaneously open files. You
must add parameters to handle large programs. The following would
be appropriate on a standalone computer (as opposed to a network)
that is not running Windows or some other multi-tasking or
task-switching environment:

C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /L:120 /F:4000

If you are running on a standalone computer running Windows, at
least double the above:

C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /L:240 /F:8000

Error 5 Page 4


If you are configuring a file server on a network, you must multiply
the above by the number of workstations on the network.

4a. A file is in use in single user mode: On a single user
system with Windows, see the WINDOWS section above.

If you encounter this error while using a network version of an SOS
program, you may be trying to use the system while another user is
engaged in one of the processes that can be done only in single user
mode, such as closing a daysheet. Try again after the other user
has completed the procedure.

4b. A file is locked: This rare event can be rectified by confirming
that nobody is using the software, then running the CFREE utility on
all data files, as so:

- Change to the data directory where the problem is ocurring, eg:

CD \OM <ENTER>

- Now type:

CFREE *.DAT <ENTER>

The process will take a few minutes. If the utility finds any
locked files or held records, they will be released for use.