FTP of open file is unsuccessful

Hello:

How do I transfer open files?

I did the following and got an error message:

I have an Excel file open in Excel 2000. At the same time, I used SmartFtp to transfer the file from the nfs-server to a local disk. I got following error in the ftp messages window:

"The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

What do I have to do in order to transfer the file even if it is open for editing or viewing?

Thank you.

Regards,
Ragu Nagalingam.

I think I'm correct in saying that generally you can't - the OS places a lock on the open file. A problem would arise if your colleague were to save the file half-way through your download and most likely result in corruption.

D

I think I'm correct in saying that generally you can't - the OS places a lock on the open file.  A problem would arise if your colleague were to save the file half-way through your download and most likely result in corruption.

D

I agree to your argument. An intelligent OS should detect that a file is
being written to and wait to access the file.

Please note that though the file is "OPEN", I do not have a problem copying the file to a different folder. How come OS allows this but not
FTP?

Also, note that in unix, I do not have a problem using ftp to transfer a file
while it is open.

Thanks.
Ragu