Security - confused

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ragnar Midtskogen
  • Start date Start date
R

Ragnar Midtskogen

Hello,

I have been asked to fix some problems in an existing Access 97 application,
but it has been secured and I can't figure out how to deal with the
security.
I can open code modules and edit them, but when I try to view the design of
a form I get a message that I don't have permission.
The same applies to the contents as well as the design of the tables.

I have been given passwords for the Administrator and the Admin users, but I
am never prompted for them.
I think that means that the security is controlled by adding users to groups
and giving permissions to the groups.

There is an MDW file, and a Wrkgadm.exe. I tried running the Wrkgadm.exe and
add myself to the group, I was never asked for any password, and it didn't
make any difference.
I also tried using the Access meny item Tools/Security/User and Group
Permission, but I get a message I don't have change permissions for the
object.

I have worked in Access since Access 2 but I have never worked with
security.

HELP!!!!

If someone would point me in the right direction I would really appreciate
it.

Ragnar
 
Ragnar said:
I have been asked to fix some problems in an existing Access 97
application, but it has been secured and I can't figure out how to
deal with the security.

I have been given passwords for the Administrator and the Admin
users, but I am never prompted for them.
Click to expand...

Possibilities:
1. If you are joined by default to system.mdw and are able to just open the
mdb, then it wasn't secured properly.

2. You are using a desktop shortcut, that automatically supplies the
username/password via switches

3. You are using a desktop shortcut without those switches, but the Admin
user in the workgroup you're supposed to be using doesn't have a password
set.

I'd bet #1.
There is an MDW file, and a Wrkgadm.exe. I tried running the
Wrkgadm.exe and add myself to the group, I was never asked for any
password, and it didn't make any difference.
Click to expand...

Do you mean you ran wrkgadm.exe and joined the secure mdw, and still weren't
prompted for a username/password?
I also tried using the Access meny item Tools/Security/User and Group
Permission, but I get a message I don't have change permissions for
the object.
Click to expand...

You need to create a desktop shortcut with the following in the target:
"path to msaccess.exe" "path to mdb" /wrkgrp "path to secure mdw"

When prompted, login as the Administrator user. That should get you full
control. If you don't even get a login, post back.
 
Thank you Joan,

The shortcut you described did the trick! Now I think I vaguely remember
reading something about how to associate a DB with a workgroup file.

After logging in as Administrator I appear to have control. I can design a
form in the DB I logged into
When using the Tools/Security/User and Group Permission I can see all the
users, Administrator, Admin plus all the users at the client's office.

Now the job is to find the DB where the problem is, there are about 54 of
them, all belonging to the same application!
It looks like 50 are front ends, the other 4 are back ends with the data.
Judging by the names of the DBs, Invoices, Vouchers, Payments etc.
I saw it being used at the client's, it looks like there is a main menu,
which looks a lot like Windows Explorer. Might be a TreeView control.
Since the client was using an MDE file I could not find out the name of the
DB or the form where the error were occurring, so I will have to go looking.
She was doing an invoice so I will start with the invoice DB.

Is it possible that by logging into the DB where the main menu is that any
of the other DB's can be accessed without logging into each one?

Ragnar
 
Ragnar said:
After logging in as Administrator I appear to have control. I can
design a form in the DB I logged into
When using the Tools/Security/User and Group Permission I can see all
the users, Administrator, Admin plus all the users at the client's
office.
Click to expand...

That is the user you'll want to login with when making any design changes,
or creating new objects.
Is it possible that by logging into the DB where the main menu is
that any of the other DB's can be accessed without logging into each
one?
Click to expand...

Quite possibly. Remember that the workgroup you are using is for the
session of Access. As long as all those mdb files were secured with the
same workgroup file, then yes once you login to one, you can open any of the
others during that session of Access.

I think it likely unnecessary to have that many frontend mdb files (50!).
 
Thank Joan,
Quite possibly. Remember that the workgroup you are using is for the
session of Access. As long as all those mdb files were secured with the
same workgroup file, then yes once you login to one, you can open any of
the others during that session of Access.
Click to expand...

I have not tried but a few of them, but the ones I have tried I have full
control of, so they are probably all secured with that workgroup file.
There is also just one MDW file among all the files I got.

I guess I will try writing some code in one of the DBs to open all the DB
files and list the forms and hope the developer(s) chose some meaningful
names (:-)).

Ragnar
 
Back
Top