Word 2007 Can't delete files and makes files read only

[Amanda Brown]

I'm running Office 2007 on Vista. I have two problems. One is that,
when I open a file in 2003 compatibility mode, it is often opened as
Read Only meaning I can't make changes. This seems to happen randomly.
Why?

The other is that I am often prevented from deleting a file because it
is still open in another program -- even when it isn't. I've got files
I last looked at two months ago that I still can't delete. I've
searched the properties looking for something that I can change and
there's nothing there to indicate why the filw would be locked. How
can I fix this?
--
Amanda Brown