Hi,
I’m using Endnote X7 in Windows 7. When I try to open my library, this alert comes up:
"This file is in use. Enter a new name or close the file that’s open in another program."
I closed every open PDF or Word document and even my running programs, but nothing changed.
Does anyone know how I can regain access to my library?
Thx,
AK1
I have the same problem. I have tried to open the file from within Endnote and also from the file list.
The library has disappeared from the recently used libraries dropdown as well.
where did the library reside? on a cloude drive?
I have the same problem in both EndNote 7 and Reference Manager 12. It is preventing me from importing references from the journal/publisher’s website. Help!
My solution to this problem has been to copy the library file and and the data folder and giving the copies another name than the original and then opened the copy with the new name in EndNote. In my cases the new library can be opened without problem.
Best wishes
Jan Ove
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have the same problem. Even after copying the libary and renaming the same error occurs,
Can you please help me?
Thank you in advance.
Dear Madam/Sir,
I have the same problem. I have created a Libary and given in references.
First of all, the references are not saved in the library and if I would insert the references in word. The following error occurs: this file is in use. Enter a new name or close the file that’s open in another program.
I have copied the libary, renamed it and put it at another location.
However, it still doesn’t work.
Could you please help me. Thank you in advance.
I have the same problem in X8.01.
It started after I had installed X8.01 on a laptop and was syncing from my on-line library. After about 1600 refs, most of them with associated pdf documents, the library window disappeared and all attempts to re-open this library failed with the above error message.
Restarting EndNote or restarting the laptop (Windows 10) did not help.
Attempts to use the Recover library function resulted in “0 references recovered” without any other error message.
Repairing EndNote from the installation files also did not help.
Copying the .data and .enl files to another folder and renaming them (a trick which has been reported to help in several cases) also did not help.
Any suggestions?
Finn-Mogens Haug
Professor emeritus
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences
University of Oslo
I have the same problem in X8.01.
I had installed X8.01 on a laptop and was syncing from my on-line library. After about 1600 refs, most of them with associated pdf documents, the library window disappeared and all attempts to re-open this library failed with the above error message.
Restarting EndNote or restarting the laptop (Windows 10) did not help.
Attempts to use the Recover library function resulted in “0 references recovered” without any other error message.
Repairing EndNote from the installation files also did not help.
Copying the .data and .enl files to another folder and renaming them (a trick which has been reported to help in several cases) also did not help.
Any suggestions?
Finn-Mogens Haug
Professor emeritus
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences
University of Oslo
I have had a very similar problem (not absolutely identical) with X8 and … the solution which we arrived at could also address similar issues. What caused my problem was importing a style not a reference, but I think this is a close enough issue to that described above and had the same error report on screen.
After going through exercise of copying the data folder and creating a new primary .enl file I had a the above error report. So, after uninstalling and reinstalling Endnote three times (which regrettably I am a past master at! – heed the warning from TR… back up your Endnote files often!!! Every time you add something to the library is a very good idea.) with various versions; and an hour or so with my University’s help desk’s most experienced Endnote user (Simon has been using it since version 3, 15 versions ago!), we ended up resolving the problem.
What appears to be occurring is that when Endnote is importing it minimises the active window for the active .enl file, such that you can’t see it or find the active window either within Endnote or Windows. By copying the original folders and files into new files and folders (a copied data folder of the original folder and a new ‘file.enl’ created in Notepad) then importing (not using the Recover Library function – although this could also work) from the original .enl file, then clicking on the W indow tab in Endnote and selecting Tile Vertically , hey presto… the desired .enl file displayed on the screen, with the imported references that appear to have caused the problem added in. (The cause may be a range of things ranging from poor coding to a dodgy API or some other challnge from the cosmos with the latest version X8).
I hope this helps others!
John Noonan
Curtin University
Western Australia
I have had a very similar problem (not absolutely identical) with X8 and … the solution which we arrived at could also address similar issues. What caused my problem was importing a style not a reference, but I think this is a close enough issue to that described above and had the same error report on screen.
After going through exercise of copying the data folder and creating a new primary .enl file I had a the above error report.
After uninstalling and reinstalling Endnote three times (which regrettably I am a past master at! – heed the warning from TR… back up your Endnote files often!!! Every time you add something to the library is a very good idea. ) with various versions; and an hour or so with my University’s help desks most experienced Endnote user (Simon has been using it since version 3, 15 versions ago!), we ended up resolving the problem.
What appears to be occurring is that when Endnote is importing it minimises the active window for the active .enl file such that you can’t see it or find the active window either within Endnote or Windows. By importing the original files and folders into new files and folders (a copied data folder of the original folder and a new ‘file.enl’ created in Notepad) then importing (not using the Recover Library function – although this could also work) from the original .enl file, then clicking on the W indow tab in Endnote and selecting Tile Vertically , hey presto… the desired .enl file displayed on the screen, with the imported references that appear to have caused the problem added in. The cause could be something like sloppy coding or a dodgy API or the like in version X8.
I hope this helps others!
John Noonan
Curtin University
Western Australia
I have had a very similar problem (not absolutely identical) with X8 and … the solution which we arrived at could also address similar issues. What caused my problem was importing a style not a reference, but I think this is a close enough issue to that described above and had the same error report on screen.
After going through exercise of copying the data folder and creating a new primary .enl file I had a the above error report.
So, after uninstalling and reinstalling Endnote three times (which regrettably I am a past master at! – heed the warning from TR… back up your Endnote files often!!! Every time you add something to the library is a very good idea. ) with various versions; and an hour or so with my University’s help desks most experienced Endnote user (Simon has been using it since version 3, 15 versions ago!), we ended up resolving the problem.
What appears to be occurring is that when Endnote is importing it minimises the active window for the active .enl file such that you can’t see it or find the active window either within Endnote or Windows. By importing the original files and folders into new files and folders (a copied data folder of the original folder and a new ‘file.enl’ created in Notepad) then importing (not using the Recover Library function – although this could also work) from the original .enl file, then clicking on the W indow tab in Endnote and selecting Tile Vertically , hey presto… the desired .enl file displayed on the screen, with the imported references that appear to have caused the problem added in. The cause of the problem could be a miriad of things ranging from poor coding to a dodgy API or other challenges sent from the cosmos in Version X8.
I hope this helps others!
John Noonan
Curtin University
Western Australia
The exact problem just happened to me in EndNote X9 while I was editing the output style. I could not open my main library anymore.
The solution to me was open or create any other library, then edit the same output style again, close the editing window then open the library that was “in use”.
Hope this helps anyone who encounter to this problem.
It appears that this issue has been occurring for several years. I thought I would add what I found when it just occurred to me so that anyone who sees this might be assisted. In my case, the file was, in fact, open, but hidden from view. Apparently the location of the library window within the main Endnote window is saved when you close Endnote. If you move your Endnote files to another computer with a different monitor configuration or alter something with the monitor configuration of the same computer (in my case I have a dual monitor and my work and home computers have different sizes of dual monitors and I swap Endnote files between these locations) and also have Endnote appearing non-maximized on the computer monitor, the library window can sometimes open out of the areas of the non-maximized Endnote window. I was able to get my library to appear by simply clicking the maximize icon (top right side of the Endnote window). When I did, the library window appeared off to the side. I could then re-center it and all was well. It was that simple. I suspect that this was some type of oversight in the programming that is rare enough to have slipped by for all of these years. I’ve been using Endnote for over 20 years and this is the first time it’s occurred.