Description of the "Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives " option in Word 2003 and in Word 2002

Summary

This article describes the new option Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives. This option was added to the Save options of Microsoft Word 2002 and of Microsoft Office Word 2003. This option is turned off by default.

More Information

When you open a document, Word creates locks on the file to prevent other users from making changes to the file while you are working with it. The Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option has no effect on the default behavior of Word with temporary files, with one exception: when this option is turned on, no temporary "Owner File" is created when a file is opened.

For more information about how Microsoft Word uses temporary files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

211632 Description of how Word creates temporary files

In earlier versions of Microsoft Word, when you use the power management options in Microsoft Windows and your computer enters into Suspend mode (hibernates), file locks to an open file are not retained. As a result, after your computer comes out of Suspend mode and you save your changes back to the original file, your changes may overwrite changes made by other users during the time your computer was in Suspend mode.

In Word, when the Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option is selected, and your computer enters Suspend mode, the file locks are retained for an open file. This function can be very useful, especially if your open file is on a network drive or share. Because file locks are now retained on an open file with this option turned on, other users cannot make changes to your open file while your computer is in Suspend mode.

When you open a file from a removable drive, Word checks the removable drive to determine the size of the drive. If the size of the drive is 3 megabytes (MB) or less, Word copies the file to the Windows TEMP folder. By default, Word performs this function regardless of the setting of the
Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option. Each time that you save or close the file, Word copies the file back to the removable drive.

EXCEPTION: A Jaz drive, Zip drive, Bernoulli drive, CD-ROM drive, local fixed hard disk drive or similar device is not typically a network drive or considered a removable drive. Additionally, these drives are not 3 MB or less in size. Therefore, when you work from one of these drives, Word does not make a copy of an open file in the Windows TEMP folder. This is true whether or not the Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option is selected.

With this option selected and you open a file that is located on a network share or removable drive, Word saves a copy of the file to your local fixed hard disk drive. The copy is saved in the Windows TEMP folder with a file name similar to "~wrc000.tmp". Word then uses the local copy of the document as a working reference during the entire editing process until you save your changes. During the save process, Word saves the changes you made to the local working copy and also saves the changes made back to the original document. After all the changes have been saved and you close the file in Word, the local working copy of the file is deleted from the TEMP folder.

To turn the Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option on, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

2. Click the Save tab.

3. Click to select the Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives check box.

4. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

For additional information about ensuring that this option is selected automatically when you start Microsoft Word, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

313397 How to automatically turn On the "Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives" setting in Word 2002

When this option is not selected, Word saves a local copy of the file that you open on a removable drive only when the file size is 3 megabytes (MB) or less.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

If you want Word to always make a local copy of a file that you open from a removable drive or network share regardless of the setting (selected or unselected) of the Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option, you can modify the Windows registry.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Windows programs.

2. Click Start and then click Run.

3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then press ENTER.

4. In Registry Editor, open the following registry key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options

5. With the Options key selected, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.

6. Type FollowMakeLocalCopySettings, and then press ENTER.

7. With FollowMakeLocalCopySettings selected, click Modify on the Edit menu.

8. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value data box to one of the following values, and then click OK:
   

   • If you want Word to always follow the setting of the
     Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option for removable drives, including floppy disk drives, type
     00000001 in the Value data box.
     
     -or-

   • If you want Word to follow the default behavior of the
     Make local copy of files stored on network or removable drives option, change the Value data box to
     00000000.

9. On the Registry menu, click Exit.