Appreciate the info . I will no longer use a floppy to transport work in
progress between computers. In the meantime is there a way to get at the
data in that file? I can't open the file to resave it on the hard drive,
Windows Explorer does not allow me to move or copy the file, I can't attach
the file to an email. I've tried doing all of the above in safe mode. Any
ideas?

"Paul B" wrote:

txshyhawk, it is not a good idea to work on a file from a floppy, try
putting it on you hard drive and see if that will work, then when you have
made your changes copy it back to the floppy, here is a article from
Microsoft on the subject

When you open a workbook, Microsoft Excel creates temporary files in the
folder in which you save the file and in the folder from which you opened
the workbook. These temporary files are deleted when you close the file.
Also, Microsoft Excel creates a copy of the file on the media when you save
the file. This behavior may be problematic if you open a workbook from a
floppy disk or if the floppy disk does not have enough free space to
accommodate the file.
For these reasons, it is a good idea to copy the file to your hard disk
before you work with it. After you make modifications, save the file to the
hard disk, and then copy it back to the floppy disk.

--
Paul B
Always backup your data before trying something new
Please post any response to the newsgroups so others can benefit from it
Feedback on answers is always appreciated!
Using Excel 2002 & 2003

"txskyhawk" wrote in message
...
Trying to open a frequently used Excel file from floppy disk. Error
message
says. "..fil.xls cannot be accessed, The file maybe read-only, or you may
be
trying to access a read-only location."

I am running Excel 2003. The online update tool tells me I have all the
current updates. Other Excel files on this floppy open fine. The file in
question opened fine a couple of days ago. I tried to copy the file to my
desktop. Windows went through the motions but eventually produced a can't
read the file message.

Is there hope?