"File Not Accessible" Bug When Using and Saving To External Drive with DW 21.2 and Windows 11

[fridayschild32892776]

Hello,

"File not accessible" error suddenly appeared with DW 21.2 and Windows 11.

I like to use an external drive. (Sorry, but I antiquated. I find this easier to switch between laptops, desktops, and when I am working say on a flight and have no access to remote files on Internet).

Suddenly started getting messages that various dwsybc.xml files were "file not accessible", so deleted them all; uninstalled DW; and reinstalled.

Then kept getting message that whatever file was open was also "file not accessible".

Checked all permissions numerous times, but no joy.

Eventually copied entire site folder from external drive onto root drive. Did this on two different laptops, one under Windows 10, other under Windows 11.

Root folder sites now working all hunky dory on both.

But when try to work on external drive, then Windows 10 laptop seems to continue working OK, but Windows 11 one does not. 

There are no issues on Windows 11 plus external drive with any of Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Bridge in Creative Suite.

Am only getting this error with Dreamweaver 21.2, Windows 11, and an external drive.

Believe this to be a bug that needs fixing.

Thank you.

[fridayschild32892776]

I of course meant "dwsync.xml".

[Nancy OShea]

Windows 11 probably can't access your external.  Suggest you move external files to your primary hard drive to work with them.  Afterwards, use Windows File Explorer to copy local site folder to the external drive.

[fridayschild32892776]

Hi,

Thank you. That seems to have worked. Still think it's a bug in DW because it happens with nothing else in Creative Suite. But for anyone else then: 

1. Copy your complete site folder FROM external drive TO folder on mahine's primary drive.
2. Use "Manage Sites" to change site folder FROM external drive TO above prinary drive folder.
3. Open and close few pages (just to be certain all working OK).
3. Use "Manage Sites" to create duplicate of site (to avoid reinputting servers, passwords etc).
4. Use Windows 11 File Explorer to copy entire site folder FROM primary TO external drive, in new folder.
5. Use "Manage Sites" to select new folder on external drive as the site folder.
6. Open up page from above NEW recreated site.
All should now be well.

Sincere thanks to Nancy O'Shea  

[Nancy OShea]

Based on your latest information, this was probably a permissions problem. Read only files cannot be re-saved.  To save files, they must have full read/write access.

[fridayschild32892776]

Hi, Can you suggest anything concrete I can search that I might not already have come across on the Internet, searching for "read", "write", "network", "permissions" and  other such permutations?

I am happy to believe there is some kind of read/write permission error, but cannot think what it might be or where to look.

I had actually got as far as copying my woring folder from the external onto the primary drive and working with that; but I had not had the thought of transferring the folder back again. That is what did the trick., and thanks again for that. I am also mystified as to why your solution works, but it does ... ... ... and if you have something concrete to suggest that I can fix, and that a fairly comprehensive Google search might not throw up, I will be very grateful. I will fix whatever it is, although everything now is A-OK. I have simply done the same on the 15 sites or so I administer: just copying folders back and forth as I suggested above, until everything is fine.

Thanks again

[Nancy OShea]

In Windows File Explorer, right-click on folder or file and select Properties.

[fridayschild32892776]

Hi, Thank you. That really was the first thing ever that I did, and nothing I could do would fix the issue. I went round and round in circles with Administrator privileges that I changed galore and everything under the sun, including messing around with User Controls of various kinds, which I again changed galore. I set up new users, and new levels of users, and everything else I could find by researching every which way, and including by going to Microsoft support for suggestions from the experts there. Genuinely: nothing worked, and no amount of right-clicking anything made a hoot of difference. The only thing that worked was your second and mirror image of what I already tried, which was not only copying FROM the external drive to the primary drive, but copying back again. That idea I am grateful for. I do not know why it worked, but right-clicking and changing anything that comes up is not it. Thank you again for your inestimable suggestion. I really am content to have a solution and am grateful to you for it.

[Nancy OShea]

Glad to be of help. 🙂

[Jon Fritz]

Hopefully, if it is a Windows 11 bug, Adobe will view it as an OS compatibility and/or security fix. As of now, those types of issues are the only ones they are working on, having put DW into a "minimally maintained" limbo state. There are no other bug fixes or new features planned for the program any longer.

[fridayschild32892776]

Hi

Do you have a link to Press Release or similar about this Adobe decision?

I am sure I am not the only one who used to use PageMill to which that happened; and then GoLive, to which that happened; and now it looks as if it's happening again with DreamWeaver?

Makes you think a bit.

Thanks if you have some further info

[Jon Fritz]

I haven't seen any announcements in print, but there was a Community Roundtable live event with Adobe staffers where they announced that the program would receive "minimal engineering investment" focusing on OS compatibility and security related issues only. Bug fixes outside of those, and feature requests, would not be part of the "investment".