OT: File saving problem. Need ideas

[Madeleine]

I'm trying to save some files to a memory stick. These are newly created files. The same files save fine to an external drive as well as the hard drive. I can update a file that exists. Cannot save any new files to the stick. There is a ton (530 mg) of space on the drive. I'm trying to save a 51 mg file.
The stick worked fine until today. Haven't had any issues at all up until that.
The error message concerns permission files. (Word cannot complete the save due to a permission file error.) Nothing about not enough disk space.
I have tried different file names. Different file types.
Thought it might be the usb port but the external drive works fine plugged into the same usb port.
Reading up on the MS forums the answers range from completely updating the program files (Word) to changing some settings in Word to starting the program in safe mode to changing permissions. Given the files save fine elsewhere I'm going for a problem with the stick.
Can it be reformatted? I can dump all the files on there right now to the external drive and start over.
Thanks!

 

[Arks]

SD cards have a little slider on them that lets you switch them from read/write to read only. But I'm assuming you're talking about what I call a thumb drive and I never saw one of those with a read only option. But you might look for that anyway. Sometimes things like that get activated without you knowing it.

 

[Arks]

Another thing that could happen like that is if you have the file open in one program, then try to save or change the same file from a different program (or another instance of the same program, like having 2 copies of Word open at once, and the file you're trying to save is also open in the other copy of Word).

 

[OnTheShore]

Can you just copy the file from your hard disk onto the memory stick using the operating system rather than trying to save it there from within the Word application?
Not sure how to do it in Windows, but have you looked at the permission settings for the memory stick?

 

[swirt]

Sometimes these devices get corrupted. Copy the files to another drive, then reformat troubled drive. Then put the files back.

 

[Madeleine]

Can you just copy the file from your hard disk onto the memory stick using the operating system rather than trying to save it there from within the Word application?
Not sure how to do it in Windows, but have you looked at the permission settings for the memory stick?.

Can you just copy the file from your hard disk onto the memory stick using the operating system rather than trying to save it there from within the Word application?
Not sure how to do it in Windows, but have you looked at the permission settings for the memory stick?

Tried that. Didn't work.
However, found the solution... It seems memory sticks have an aversion to 'clutter'. If you randomly keep saving things to it (photos, files, webpages, anything) you eventually reach the straw that breaks the camel's back. The memory stick needs to be organized.
I deleted one photo just to see if I could delete something because I couldn't add anything. No problem deleting. Then I created a folder and put all the photos into it. Then a folder for all the word files. A folder for all the webpages.
Opened the file I saved on the hard drive and 'save as' saved it to the stick in the new folder.
Viola! (ha, ha) Back in business.
Thanks for the suggestions innmates. I found a random guy who had the same problem and rather than reinventing Windows and updating Word and yadda yadda, he said to create folders on the stick and try that. SO much easier. Thank you random internet people, too.

 

[EmptyNest]

Can you just copy the file from your hard disk onto the memory stick using the operating system rather than trying to save it there from within the Word application?
Not sure how to do it in Windows, but have you looked at the permission settings for the memory stick?.

Can you just copy the file from your hard disk onto the memory stick using the operating system rather than trying to save it there from within the Word application?
Not sure how to do it in Windows, but have you looked at the permission settings for the memory stick?

Tried that. Didn't work.
However, found the solution... It seems memory sticks have an aversion to 'clutter'. If you randomly keep saving things to it (photos, files, webpages, anything) you eventually reach the straw that breaks the camel's back. The memory stick needs to be organized.
I deleted one photo just to see if I could delete something because I couldn't add anything. No problem deleting. Then I created a folder and put all the photos into it. Then a folder for all the word files. A folder for all the webpages.
Opened the file I saved on the hard drive and 'save as' saved it to the stick in the new folder.
Viola! (ha, ha) Back in business.
Thanks for the suggestions innmates. I found a random guy who had the same problem and rather than reinventing Windows and updating Word and yadda yadda, he said to create folders on the stick and try that. SO much easier. Thank you random internet people, too.
.

I was going to say what Swirt said
had this happen recently with a friends drive
corrupted

 

[Generic]

There is a limit to the number of files allowed in the root directory.

 

[Madeleine]

There is a limit to the number of files allowed in the root directory..

There is a limit to the number of files allowed in the root directory.

That's the techie way of saying the stick doesn't like clutter. ;-)