A long time departed user locked back a file? We did many check-in and check-out on this file since the user left...

Question

Hi all,

I've a strange behavior on a locked file:

The message is classic "TF10151: Cannot lock item XYZ.dtsx for check-out. This item is checked out by noLongerEmployee in workspace itsWorkspace"

What is less classic is that we've changed that same file quite a few times (check-out and check-in) since that person left. So it's like that person reappeared...

Also, this user is no longer declared on the domain and in TFS sidekick I can't find any reference to noLongerEmployee or itsWorkspace even if I check the XYZ file history...

So 2 questions:

1. How is that possible? Maybe someone restarted his computer but he couldn't have log with this old account on the network as he's not declared on the domain anymore. Someone did a "Get Specific Version" few days ago to compare with the latest version. If the specific version was dated before the person left could it have "awaken" an old lock ?
2. How I unlock the file? I saw the post "Unlocking files from departed user" but I'm not allowed to access the TFS server, is there another way?

Config:

• TFS 2005
• TF Sidekick 2.4

Thanks in advance for your help.

Florent MEREL

Essilor International IT Team Lead.

Please mark correct answers ;-)

Answer 1

Hi,
Please try this and see if this resolves.

1. Open Team Explorer

2. Open Source control.

3. Select the right project where the file(s) exist.

4. In source control, Right click on the parent folder of the file or file itself(if you just a few files in locked state etc) and select "Find in source control", then select "Status". NOTE: You'll see "Find in source control" option only if you are the admin of this project/TFS collection OR try starting Team Explorer VS2010 client by doign "Run as Administrator"(shift+right click on VS 2010 TE icon).

5. A pop up window will show up. Make sure recursive/status check boxes are ticked. Press "FIND" button.

6. FIND IN SOURCE CONTROL pane window will show up and you'll be able to see the name of the file, user who acted on it, workspace, type of change and folder etc.

7. Right click on that file and click on the UNDO button (3rd icon under FIND IN SOURCE CONTROL pane window, left top area). If you have more than one files, sort the FIND window data acc. to "WORKSPACES", then select each workspace one by one and press bulk UNDO (by pressing the same UNDO button).

  OR you can see more from commmand prompt: How to use "tf undo" command to accomplish the same.

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Arun Sangal Software Configuration Management Denver USA

Answer 2

Hi, 

Thanks for the answer but I can't see this option. I'm administrator of all the projects :-/

I tried to use the tf lock /lock:none solution but I get this error TF14090: Cannot unlock XYZ.dtsx. It is not currently locked in your workspace.

I'm using VS 2005 with TFS Power Tools. Maybe those problems comes from the version?

Any other idea? I saw that I could allocate the Workspace to me by doing some changes in the TFS DB but I'm a bit afraid to crash something...

Florent MEREL

Essilor International IT Team Lead.
Please mark correct answers ;-)

Answer 3

Hi Florent, 

Thanks for your post.

Please using your TFS Admin account execute the tf undo command to force undo that checkout. The command line like the following:

        Tf undo /workspace:itsworkspace  /server:serverurl  /recursive  $/…./XYZ.dtsx

If the undo command still can’t undo that checkout, please execute this command line: tf workspaces /owner:* /server:serverurl to find all the workspaces, then according the onlongerEmployee and itsWorkspace to find the itsWorkspace on which computer, re-add onlongerEmployee  account in domain and TFS Server, then logon that computer using this onlongerEmployee account to undo that checkout in VS.     

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John Qiao [MSFT]
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