Two years later... still can't use Access

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Guest

I posted to this newsgroup a long time ago that I had installed a demo program for a customer management database. It did something to my system so anytime I try to load any Access database at all... it prompts me for a password I don't know.

This hasn't been a big problem because I had Access on another computer. Now I don't have that computer... so it is a problem again.

I tried re-installing Access, but that didn't work. At the time I posted about this problem, several people offered to sell me their recovery utilities, and none of the ones I tried worked.

Should I forget about ever using Access on this computer again?

Best Regards,
Steve MacLellan
 
Being asked for a password should mean that you are joined to a workgroup
that has Access (at least some aspects of) security implemented.
You should check what workgroup you are a member of.

To do this you need to run a program called WrkGAdm.exe.
Some versions of Access provide a menu option for this. But if you can't
find a 'Workgroup Administration' option then just locate and run the
program directly.

If you find you are joined to a workgroup called system.mdw then this may
mean that the app you referred to did not have a custom workgroup, which
is a bad thing to do. But no matter. Create a new workgroup
(MyWorkgroup.mdw will do) and join that workgroup. Clearly no security
actions have been taken for this new workgroup.

You should now be able to open any database which is not subject to
security constraints and you should be able to create new databases.

Regards

Peter Russell
 
Steve,

I posted to this newsgroup a long time ago that I had installed a demo program for a customer management database. It did something to my system so anytime I try to load any Access database at all... it prompts me for a password I don't know.
Click to expand...

It replaced your default workgroup file (either by literally
overwriting the default one, or far more likely, by simply pointing to
a new secured workgroup file), no doubt.
This hasn't been a big problem because I had Access on another computer.
Click to expand...

So you 'solved' the problem by giving up the use of Access on that
computer. Wow.
Now I don't have that computer... so it is a problem again.
Click to expand...

Well, that makes sense. Solving the problem at the outset rather than
giving up use of the computer for Access would have prevented the
reoccurrence of this trivial problem.
I tried re-installing Access, but that didn't work. At the time I posted about this problem, several people offered to sell me their recovery utilities, and none of the ones I tried worked.
Click to expand...

No recovery tool would be needed, because nothing is 'wrong' with your
system. Re-installing Access was overkill and also not necessary.
Should I forget about ever using Access on this computer again?
Click to expand...

No. That would be making the same mistake twice.

All you need to do is to use the workgroup administrator to change the
default workgroup back to a generic one. Since you don't mention
anything specific about versions, its not clear exactly which precise
steps are most relevant, but all versions of Access come with a
workgroup administrator utility or feature that lets you specify which
workgroup is your default workgroup. By pointing to the system.mdw
file (or .mda if a very old version of Access) in your system
directory, you will probably no longer be asked for any login (I say
probably, because it is not clear whether the original generic
workgroup was replaced or simply bypassed by the software you
installed). If this doesn't work, creating a new generic workgroup
(also possible through the administrator) will.

Reading the documentation on security in Access would have prevented
both the original problem, and its re-occurrence.

Peter Miller
____________________________________________________________
PK Solutions -- Data Recovery for Microsoft Access/Jet/SQL
Free quotes, Guaranteed lowest prices and best results
www.pksolutions.com 1.866.FILE.FIX 1.760.476.9051
 
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