ERROR: 'Waiting to open file...' 'Access Denied', 'Internal deadlock' or 'file is in use'

There are several reasons why you receive these error messages:

• The system incorrectly flags the file as read-only, non-existent, corrupt, or open on the server
• Incorrect Windows permissions to open or edit the file
• Incorrect Sage 50 Accounts licence or data from an earlier version
• Antivirus software

TIP: Follow our guide on File locking and exclusive program areas in Sage 50 Accounts for help with these issues.

 NOTE: Use our Data Service Manager which makes this process easier. To find out more, visit Using the Sage 50 Data Service Manager in v31 and above.

The most common way to resolve these issues is to restart the Sage 50 Accounts Data Service on the computer that holds your data. Use our Where is my data kept? guide to locate this computer, then:

1. Close Sage 50 Accounts.
2. Hold down the Windows Key and press R then enter Services.msc then click OK.
3. Right-click on the following relevant service and click Restart:
   • Sage 50 Accounts v31 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v31
   • Sage 50 Accounts v30 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v30
   • Sage 50 Accounts v29 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v29
   • Sage 50 Accounts v28 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v28
   • Sage 50 Accounts v27 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v27
   • Sage 50 Accounts v26 - Sage 50 Accounts Service v26
     

TIP: If the service hangs in a starting or stopping state, Stop and restart the Sage Data Service and Control Service manually.

If the issue persists

Restart the computer that holds your data. 

 NOTE: Contact your local IT if you need assistance with this. 

If the issue persists

We've got some further troubleshooting steps that can help.

First, identify the file extension in the error message, which is three letters that appear after the full stop.

TIP: For example, if the error message shows an issue with the ACCESS.DTA file, the file extension is DTA.

You can now find the file extension in the table below and click the related resolution.