Hi Larry,
I don't think all this ON ERROR Failed=.T.--Reset the Error Handler is the way to go. I would do this:

oUse = NEWOBJECT("UseTable", "Data.VCX")
WITH oUse
   .Alias = "Employee"
   .UseClause = 'EXCLUSIVE'
   RetVal = .Open()
ENDWITH
RETURN m.RetVal

You know if the Open returns False, the file was not opened. You can
then get oUse.ErrorMessage to display the reason, if it's important.

This class has it's own error method to let us know about a failed USE. It knows how to determine the path. One reaon for OOP is we code once, really well, and re-use the functionality. Everytime I use a table, I can control the situation without too much thought. I need that!