[SOLVED] Program locked for editing. "Other user" is editing.

Pen guin · 08-25-2021, 09:53 AM

Here's the thing. I'm the only computer user on this dual boot machine. So, who this "Other user" is, I have no idea.

The only program running, as far as I can tell, being new to Linux Mint, is WPS Office, and Firefox. I even restarted the entire system, which you would think would be akin to booting "Other user" off his computer. Unfortunately, upon re-boot, this so called "Other user" is still editing the program in question. So, the system is restricting me to Read Only status, at the moment...

Any help would be appreciated.

OS: Linux Mint 20.1

hazel · 08-25-2021, 10:01 AM

What's the program? Some programs that have a built-in database (for example the gramps genealogy program) put a lock on when you start them up. Then if you forget to shut them down properly, they will still be locked when you try next time. In other words, the "other user" is you. But there should be an option to break the lock.

pan64 · 08-25-2021, 11:04 AM

linux is a multi user system (and windows too). You are not the only one, but there can be different users running [automatically] different services. You are the only user who logged in using your GUI.
Anyway would be nice to know what did you try exactly and what's happened exactly.

Pen guin · 08-25-2021, 05:18 PM

Office Suites:

Linux

LibreOffice (I think)
Softmaker Office
WPS Office

Windows 10 (If that matters)

LibreOffice (I think)
Office 2010
Softmaker Office
WPS Office

Why so many? Primarily, I didn't know if I deleted say Office 2010 if I'd lose the files associated with that program. So...better safe than sorry. Then, I went looking for alternatives to 2010, and I think I found it in WPS. And, some files in Text Maker, and Plan Maker, won't open correctly in WPS, so that's still onboard...So, I have to "re-create" files into WPS since importing doesn't work.

I was on the Internet, in LinuxMint 20.1 with a webpage opened, not even signed in, when I thought it would be a good idea to get that spreadsheet open. (A couple days ago, it opened flawlessly in Linux when I used the "Open With" command, on the context sensitive menu.) Fast forward to today, when I tried to open it with WPS, I received a dialog box that said in effect, that I couldn't edit the file, because the file was being edited by (apparently) me...But you can read it. My choices were: Read, Notify and Cancel. So, I rebooted the entire computer. Unfortunately, I received the same dialog box. (It opened up as expected in Windows) if that makes any difference.

Hope this helps,

Pen guin

syg00 · 08-25-2021, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pen guin

(It opened up as expected in Windows) if that makes any difference.

What you consider trivial might be the most important detail you declined to provide earlier.
Does this indicate the data are on an NTFS filesystem ?.
Did you close the file in Windows ?.
Are you using fast-start in Windows ?.

If it's marked as in-use by Win, the Linux tools will honour that flag.

Pen guin · 08-25-2021, 09:17 PM

The Local Data Drive is using the NTFS file system.
I just closed the file again, for good measure.
Fast Boot is Disabled.
I hope this helps.
Pen guin

ondoho · 08-25-2021, 11:44 PM

It's simple:
LO (and to my knowledge also OOo) uses lock files.
Either some other software is really currently editing the document, or one of the lock files got "lost" and you have to remove it manually.

Pen guin · 08-26-2021, 09:16 PM

Could someone explain what ondoho was saying? Thanks.

pan64 · 08-27-2021, 01:03 AM

what is unclear?
LO = LibreOffice
OOo => would be Other Office
lock file: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_locking

It looks like you edited the file (document) on windows, rebooted to linux and now you cannot edit because it (the document, not the program) is locked by someone else.
That means you did not properly closed that file on windows. You have to close the office program and shut down windows, otherwise similar things may happen.

syg00 · 08-27-2021, 02:45 AM

I think that unlikely - Win and Linux should store the lockfile in different locations.
With LO and OO it's a simple matter of deleting the (hidden) lockfile in the same directory - usually left over after a crash. I know naught of WPS and could find no reference to a lockfile - maybe a similar situation with the automatic backup file. Dunno where it would be, or what it's called.

fatmac · 08-27-2021, 03:47 AM

One way around it, make a copy, using a different name, & use that..... then delete the locked file.... once you're happy with the copy.

Pen guin · 08-27-2021, 09:53 AM

Ok, that sounds like a good idea. One question though. I make a copy of the original, and rename the copy, then delete the locked file, can I then rename it back to it's original name?

Thanks.

computersavvy · 08-27-2021, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pen guin

Ok, that sounds like a good idea. One question though. I make a copy of the original, and rename the copy, then delete the locked file, can I then rename it back to it's original name?

Thanks.

You could, but it would be easier to just remove the lock file so it does not remain.

Here is from my system with a file open in LO writer.

Code:

$ ls -al
total 2816
drwxr-xr-x. 2 jvian jvian   4096 Aug 27 12:47  .
drwxr-xr-x. 5 jvian jvian   4096 Aug 18 13:20  ..
-rw-r--r--. 1 jvian jvian 722988 Jun 24 20:46 'Front Cover Claim.odt'
-rw-r--r--. 1 jvian jvian     83 Aug 27 12:47 '.~lock.Front Cover Claim.odt#'

and here is the same data after closing out the file from LO.

Code:

$ ls -al
total 2816
drwxr-xr-x. 2 jvian jvian   4096 Aug 27 12:47  .
drwxr-xr-x. 5 jvian jvian   4096 Aug 18 13:20  ..
-rw-r--r--. 1 jvian jvian 722988 Jun 24 20:46 'Front Cover Claim.odt'

The lockfile is easy to identify and likely will be similar with the other 'office' products you named above.

I am not familiar with WPS office so can't be more specific.

Pen guin · 08-27-2021, 04:20 PM

Here's my LS command from my terminal...Do you see anything that would raise an eyebrow?

Code:

duggo@loves-linux:~$ ls -al
total 160
drwxr-xr-x 23 duggo duggo  4096 Aug 27 12:29  .
drwxr-xr-x  4 root  root   4096 Jan 21  2021  ..
-rw-------  1 duggo duggo  1734 Aug 26 19:39  .bash_history
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo   220 Jan 21  2021  .bash_logout
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo  3771 Jan 21  2021  .bashrc
drwx------ 16 duggo duggo  4096 Jun 13 14:30  .cache
drwxrwxr-x  5 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 22  2021  .cinnamon
drwxr-xr-x 29 duggo duggo  4096 Aug 24 17:03  .config
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  Desktop
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo    27 Jan 21  2021  .dmrc
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jun 13 15:58  Documents
drwxr-xr-x  3 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 27  2021  Downloads
drwx------  3 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  .gnupg
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo    22 Jan 21  2021  .gtkrc-2.0
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo   516 Jan 21  2021  .gtkrc-xfce
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 24  2021  .hplip
drwxrwxr-x  4 duggo duggo  4096 Aug 16 05:41  .linuxmint
drwxr-xr-x  3 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  .local
drwx------  5 duggo duggo  4096 Aug 16 06:48  .mozilla
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  Music
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 28  2021  Pictures
drwxrwxr-x 13 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 27  2021  .PlayOnLinux
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo   807 Jan 21  2021  .profile
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  Public
drwxrwxr-x 12 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 25  2021  SoftMaker
-rw-r--r--  1 duggo duggo     0 Jan 21  2021  .sudo_as_admin_successful
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  Templates
drwxr-xr-x  3 duggo duggo  4096 Aug 16 06:14  .var
drwxr-xr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 21  2021  Videos
-rw-rw-r--  1 duggo duggo   179 Jan 23  2021  .wget-hsts
drwxrwxr-x  4 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 22  2021  .wine
-rw-------  1 duggo duggo    56 Aug 27 12:29  .Xauthority
drwxrwxr-x  2 duggo duggo  4096 Jan 27  2021  .x-plane
-rw-rw-r--  1 duggo duggo 10672 Jan 27  2021 'X-Plane Installer Log.txt'
-rw-------  1 duggo duggo  7164 Aug 27 12:29  .xsession-errors
-rw-------  1 duggo duggo  8931 Aug 27 07:34  .xsession-errors.old
duggo@loves-linux:~$

Thanks...

scasey · 08-27-2021, 04:43 PM

I think computersavvy was in their ~/Documents (or some other) folder…not in their $HOME (~), which is what it looks like the OP posted. We’re asking for the ls -la of the directory in which the locked file is located.
That’s where the lockfile is most likely to be.