Hey everyone, I've been facing a frustrating issue with a group of users accessing their AutoCAD drawing files from a remote file share. They keep encountering a situation where the files go 'read only' when they try to save changes, which forces them to use 'save as' and create their own version control solutions. Sometimes, opening these drawings takes a really long time, resulting in them needing to force quit AutoCAD. I've been troubleshooting this for months, doing all the recommended steps from AutoDesk, checking permissions, and even recording defender logs, but I still can't find a solid answer. Has anyone dealt with similar problems, and do you have any suggestions?
5 Answers
I don't have a direct solution, but I know that if users are checking in and out drawings, it can lock them. Some companies offer services to manage this check in/check out process, like Meridian used to.
This looks like an SMB file locking issue on the file share side. I've run into similar problems when my home server connection drops. A quick fix could be to have them copy the file to their local machine, make their edits, then save it back to the server when they're done.
Make sure they're not opening files from inside a ZIP file; that can trigger a read-only warning. Otherwise, it might be a different issue contributing to the problem.
They're definitely not using ZIP files, but they face this read-only issue most of the time when saving.
This issue is likely due to a minor network or VPN disruption while the files are open. Remote file shares and AutoCAD don't always work well together. For a smoother experience, consider having users copy files locally for editing or implementing a syncing solution that allows for local caching.
Thanks for the input! The users have to 'save as' back to the shared location, but it's causing a lot of frustration for them.
Sometimes, programs like Excel create hidden lock files on the server, indicating the file is in use and causing it to open in read-only mode. Make sure to disable Offline Files Sync to avoid confusion if the user's network connection is unstable. Rebooting after making that change can also help.
We're thinking about alternative solutions, but I want to exhaust all possibilities with the file share first.