0

Environment details:

  • Windows Domain Environment
  • Windows Server 2016 Standard (Build 10.0.14393)
  • Hosted on VMware (ESXi, 6.7.0, 15160138)
  • Users are on Office365 and most of their files have been updated to new formats. (Ex. .xlsx vs .xls)

Problem Description:

Normally when a file (an Excel spreadsheet for example) is in use a message will be displayed for anyone else who attempts to open that file that looks like this,

[filename.ext] is locked for editing by [user]. Open 'Read-Only' or click 'Notify' to open read-only and receive notification when the document is no longer in use."

The problem is that the [user] above is not correct, but also the error message always shows the same user... for everyone... across many different files... and that user hasn't had an account in the system for well over six months. I've been trying to figure this out for a while.

Things I have already verified:

  • The users domain account was disabled and eventually deleted after a system managed time elapsed over six months ago.
  • No access to the file shares exist whether by group membership or by explicitly defined permissions.
  • There is no locally defined account on the server with that users information in it.

It makes no sense to me where this information could even be cached or stored such that every user that encounters the error message about the same user (which doesn't exist) having their file open.

Lucretius
  • 459
  • 1
  • 4
  • 14
  • Could that user be the one whose account on Microsoft was originally used to purchase all your Office365 subscriptions? – tsc_chazz Mar 19 '21 at 18:59
  • @tsc_chazz Good thought, but no... this user was just a production supervisor. He had to activate his own copy of Office365 on his particular workstation, but that has since been reimaged and other users have their activations on hardware he was using. Individual users are limited to I think 3 activations, and this error message is showing up for 100+ people. Kinda makes me look bad like I haven't removed his account and am not managing security. lol – Lucretius Mar 19 '21 at 19:05

0 Answers0