I started with the Security FAQ from Microsoft. The trouble was that I
couldn't make it work. Here was the problem: after creating the workgroup
file, joining the new group by default, changing the administrator password,
quitting Access, and starting it again, I came to Section 1, Step 5, which
reads in part:
"log back on as the new user account that you created in step 4. You will
not have a password ... so now is a good time to set one."
I figured out that logging in as the new user account probably meant
clearing Admin as the user and typing in the new user. I then attempted to
set the password ("now is a good time to set one"). However, "now" means
"later". I needed to change the name from Admin to the new user, then click
OK without entering a password. Setting the password comes later, through
the Security menu, as I eventually learned.
So I never got past Step 4. The problem was not inattention or an
unwillingness to read the directions. The problem was that the directions
are unclear. I started over several times, certain that I had left out
something, but finally had to give it up. I searched for other material,
and found other information. Your Security Primer was helpful, as was
Lynn's 10 Steps and a paper by Jack MacDonald. Thanks to all for making
these sorts of things available. However, all of these documents are
different enough to be puzzling in places. For instance, each of the four
papers I have mentioned takes a different approach to using the Security
Wizard (or to not using it at all). However, I did finally learn how to
create a new password.
I am not as far toward understanding this as I would like to be after
putting two days into it. I don't want to be asked for a password every
time I start a database, so I tried the approach whereby the paths to
Access.exe, to the database file, and to the workgroup are all included in a
shortcut. That seemed to work yesterday, but today I started getting error
messages about Access being in an unexpected state and attributing the
problem to improperly converting a database. A groups search on that error
message turned up posts about data corruption. However, double clicking the
file allowed it to open normally. The problem came only when I used the
shortcut. I know that I shouldn't have been able to open the file by double
clicking, so once again I am back almost to the beginning. Making a new
shortcut seemed to help. Anyhow, the point of this communication is not to
get into all of that. There are so many problems I don't know where to
begin asking questions, so I will start again at the beginning of one of the
shorter papers and see if I have picked up enough to get farther into the
process.
I know that there are people who post questions before bothering with a
search, but please consider that even somebody who is as diligent as is
possible about researching before posting may be thwarted by something such
as what I described in the second paragraph.
By the way, this posting is intended as a general reply to the thread. I
picked one of the existing message in the thread, and replied to that.
Again, I appreciate all of the help that so many people provide in this
forum and on their web sites, and to not intend that this posting come
across as critical of those generous efforts and contributions.
