Excel 2003, Vista, Offline files

[PreviousPoster]

First off, let me apologize if this is a documented issue/feature/bug and I just couldn't find it. I've tried technet, searching forums (including this one) and even *gasp* google.

Here's the scenario, with enough background to understand how the problem was discovered and why I didn't notice it before now:

We are currently an WinXP and Office 2003 shop. We don't use offline folders because of the various sync issues and error messages it throws during logon/logoff, particularly it's annoying habit to try and sync user documents and data that the logged-in user doesn't have permission to access. No surprise here, well documented, no big deal.

I am in the process of migrating to Vista. With Vista's vastly improved (in my opinion) offline files, I thought now is the time to enable offline files. So, in my test lab, I create a new group policy, set up the WMI filter, and administratively assign (in computer settings) a public share to offline files. I reboot my test machines, the share appears to be shared, and offline files are available. So far, all is well.

For everything below, assume the documents I'm opening are on this PUBLIC share, (not personal documents)

While ONLINE, I open a word document on Vista machine #1, running office 2003. Good to go. On Vista machine #2, I open the same document. It detects that another user has the document open, it throws the standard "open read-only" error, just as it should. Awesome. So far, so good.

Fire up Excel 2003. Open an excel 2003 document on Vista machine #1 (still online.) It opens. I move on to Vista machine #2 and open the document. Here is where things get wonky. It does *NOT* detect that machine #1 still has a lock. It happily opens it's *OFFLINE* version of the file. Make changes. And sync errors ensue. WTF?!?!?

Okay...huh....check that all service packs are in place. Yep. Security updates. Check. REboot both machines. Try again. Same result. Hrm...

Upgrade both machines to office 2007 (also in the plan to upgrade, but further out.) Create a new excel 2007 document on the share. Open on Machine #1. Cool. Open on machine #2. Machine #2 detects the lock, asks if I want to go read-only. Okay, so maybe it's a bug in Excel 2003. I can reprioritize rolling out office 2007 if it means finally offering offline files on our laptops. But let's make sure. Open an excel 2003 document IN excel 2007. Excel reports [compatibility mode] in the title bar. Open the same excel 2003 document in Excel 2007 on machine #2.

UH-OH! No read-only warning! Make changes, save. Sure enough, saved to the offline cache. Sync errors ensue! Damn...even excel 2007's compatibility mode has this problem!

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So sure, I could run a converter and convert ALL of our documents to Excel 2007, but invariably *somebody* will bring in a document from home on a USB key, or a partner will email us a file, and here we are. So what am I missing? Is there a setting in Excel 2003 that can force a lock? I can't be the first person to notice this, so I suspect I'm missing something simple, but it seems to ONLY be excel, and it seems to only happen with offline files. I know it's barely a GP question, but since Jeremy has documented offline files so thoroughly in his book, and more recently in technet magazine, I figured this is my last hope of finding an answer.

Thanks!

-Cliff

[PreviousPoster]

Odd that I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I have some updated troubleshooting info:

1) Using the offline tab on the file properties of an existing excel 2003 or earlier file, I can verify that it's status shifts from "online" to "offline" as soon as it is opened in Excel 2007.

2) I can verify that opening an excel 2007 file does NOT alter it's offline status.

3) this behavior ONLY occurs with roaming profiles. Local profiles do not exhibit this behavior.

I am now quite confident, with these facts, that this is a bug. Has anybody else seen this and is there a fix or workaround?

[AdamV]

A client has reported to me a similar bug with the following setup:
Two XP machines on the same site, same domain, same LAN (same switch in fact!), at least one of which has offline files set up
Office 2007 on both, first user opens a .xls file from a server file share (in compatibility mode, of course).
Second machine opens it without detecting the lock on the server copy if it can open it from offline folder. They later get a synch dialogue to tell them the file was changed, what to do, etc as usual.

Note, this is XP, not Vista, but they never used to report this problem with Excel 2003.

They have only spotted this in Excel, not other office apps, and only when the second machine has that file available to work offline. I have asked them to run down a few tests (eg actually looking for the file locks on the server, does it matter whether or not the first machine has an offline copy, and does it use that in error somehow).
I also want them to be certain this is only on .xls files, not .xlsx, but they have so many files not converted yet that they have not got round to doing it.