>No,the table isn't part of a DBC and and I try to do this from FoxPro,
>not from a program, the error occurs when I try to save the changes

OK, there are three possible files involved directly in the table, and possibly a bad backlink.

A .DBF in all cases
If any Memo or General fields are in the table, a .FPT
If any tags are defined, a .CDX

I just tried to delete any one of the three components, and the USE failed, so it's not a missing file.

A bad backlink also fails during the USE.

What about the file attributes - is one or more of the files flagged with a read-only, hidden or system attribute?