Word & Excel 365 trying to contact Network path / folder that was deleted and no longer exists

Question

When I use Word and Excel 365 on Windows 11 when I select Open on the home page followed by Browse, I get a message saying the says it is trying to contact \Dell3900-PC\documents. I then get a message saying Windows cannot access \Dell3900-PC\document and get error code 0X80070043. This is an old Network path folder which was delete a few years ago and no longer exists. I have scanned the Internet, but unable to find an answer as to how to delete this path and is not File Explorer either.

Answer 1

Hi @KJR999

Windows cannot access \Dell3900-PC\document

Does this shared folder shown in File Explorer Quick Access and Recent items?

• Please go to Word or Excel > File > Options > Save, make sure the old path is not set as the AutoRecover file location, Default local file location or other locations.
• I suggest you run Word or Excel in Safe Mode, then please click 'Open', browse files to have a check. (You can hold on Ctrl key, click or double-click Word or Excel app icon, until it asks do you want to start it in safe mode, then please release Ctrl key and click "Yes".)
• Besides, please repair Office to have a check.
• You may also try to run following commands:
• • Search CMD and right-click Command Prompt > Run as administrator, then enter the commands:
  Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
• • After the scan is completed, enter the command:
  sfc /scannow

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

---

Answer 2

Hi, Think I have solved the issue. One of my friends suggested changing the options under save to a default local file location to a folder on my c: drive. My files are normally saved on e:drive which is an internal hard disk. On changing the location to a C: drive folder and no network error occurred, changed it back to e: error reappeared. I created a new documents folder on my e:\Documents 2024 and changed the default location to point e:\Documents , Network error reappeared. So I have moved all of my files over to the new folder and everything is working fine in Word. Changed the default local file location in Excel as well and that is working fine. So there is an issue with e:\documents folder but not sure what is causing this. Was planning to delete this folder, but I noticed in the folder properties that the file type is a System Folder, can I delete this folder?

Answer 3

Hi, Friends suggested checking Word and Excel Options to see where the default file location was saving files, in my case to an internal drive e:\Documents. I changes this to a folder on my c:, the network error disappears and opens normally. Changed back to e:\ Document and the network error reappears. So I create a new folder e:\Documents 2024 and change the default file location, again no network error. So have copied all my documents over to the new folder and every thing is working fine for both Word and Excel. Have rename the original e:\Documents old folder. So this issue as far as I can see is that is an issue with the e:\Documents folder rest of the e: drive is fine. The only thing I notice in the folder properties was the file type was it was System folder, so not sure it I can archive it or delete it??