>Hi All,
>
>The app is multiuser. There is a situation that all get an automated instruction to close down after 30 seconds. When closing down, a logtable is opened, a record of the user is updated and finally it is closed. I guess that all machines try this after exactly the 30 seconds (the user can do it earlier). The table is opened with:
>

USE 'thetable' SHARED AGAIN

No inserts are done, only 'owned' records are updated. Also no one has it opened exclusive.
>
>Nevertheless, some (out of let's say 100) get a File Access Denied error 1705. Is this to be anticipated behavior? What can I do best? Use a do-while?

From Help on Use: "When you open a table again in another work area, the table in the new work area takes on the attributes of the table in the original work area. For example, if a table is opened for read-only or exclusive access and is opened again in another work area, the table is opened for read-only or exclusive access in the new work area." Could that be relevant here?