"Joan Wild" wrote:

> jerrodklein313 wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I have admin privleges to the db that my unit uses. I was trying to
> > clear a password for a specific user, and accidently cleared not only
> > thiers, I cleared mine and the default admin password. I know, I
> > messed up. Maybe I was a little click happy.
>
> Quite likely; it's easy to do.  The Admin user is quite often the first in
> the list and therefore is selected by default.  If you get click happy and
> hit Clear Password before selecting the user, you will clear the password
> for the Admin user.  Once you clear the Admin user's password, you get no
> login prompt, and you are silently logged in as 'Admin', which doesn't have
> any permissions.
>
> To fix, use your desktop shortcut, and dismiss the message about no
> permissions.  You now have a session open using your secure mdw and you are
> logged in as Admin.  Go to Tools, security, Accounts and click on the change
> password tab.  Change the Admin's password to something.  Close Access, and
> you'll be back in business next time you use the shortcut.
>
> --
> Joan Wild
> Microsoft Access MVP
>
>
>

"Joan Wild" wrote:

> jerrodklein313 wrote:
> > Thank you again. You have helped me so much, as well as so many
> > others. We all appreciate yours, and the other regular helpers on
> > here, so much.
>
> I appreciate the feedback, thank you.
>
> > So I am back in business. I am still having issues with the three
> > users. I did discover something unusual though. I noticed on one
> > persons issue, you told the person to look under the workgroup
> > administrator section to see what workgroup they belonged to.
>
> Every installation requires some workgroup file (mdw); Access can't work
> without one.  Out of the box, it ships with a workgroup file named
> system.mdw.  Access uses this workgroup for all sessions.  It silently logs
> you in as a user named 'Admin' using this system.mdw.  Every installation of
> Access has the same system.mdw, and the Users Group and the Admin User are
> common to all.  That is why it is important not to give any permissions or
> ownership to either the Users Group or the Admin User.  It is also crucial
> to create a new mdw file, as this will ensure that the Admins Group is
> different than the Admins Group in system.mdw.
>
> > When I did this for the user that is having an issue with the 'Admin'
> > error message, I found the workgroup section contained a lot of boxes.
>
> What boxes do you mean?  A computer can have many mdw files available to it.
> You are always joined by default to one of them.  Normally one would keep
> system.mdw as the default, as that one will be used for all Access sessions
> requiring no security.  When you want to launch a secure mdb, you'd use a
> desktop shortcut with the /wrkgrp switch to over-ride the default (for just
> that session).  You could join the secure mdw as your default, but that
> becomes rather tedious to keep changing the default.  Desktop shortcuts are
> easier.
>
> > My settings look like this: C:\Documents and
> > Settings\<myname>\Application Data\Microsoft\Access\System.mdw
> > I tried to copy and paste this into her settings in order to join the
> > same group as the one I belong to, obviously using her name in the
> > <myname> spot.
>
> Well system.mdw on your system should be the standard one that ships with
> Access.  That is not likely the secure mdw you created when you secured the
> mdb.
>
> > When I do all this, it says that I have successfully
> > joined the group. I try to reopen the db, and it says it can't find
> > the group. So I try to change the group mannually, and go to the same
> > location in the c:drive and it wont let me change it. The unknown
> > workgroup remains. All I have to say is Arrrggggg!!!
>
> What version are you using?  If 2002 or 2003, go to that person's machine
> and just open Access (not your secure mdb).  If it can't find system.mdw,
> it'll create a new one.  If you are using 2000, you can copy a pristine
> system.mdw from some one else's computer.
>
> You should put your secure mdw (again this isn't/shouldn't be system.mdw on
> your computer) in a folder on the network that users have full access to.
> Give the users a desktop shortcut with a target like:
> "path to msaccess.exe" "path to mdb" /wrkgrp "path to secure mdw on network"
>
> I have a feeling that you didn't create a new workgroup file when you
> secured.  If that is the case, then your mdb is not secure at all.
>
> --
> Joan Wild
> Microsoft Access MVP
>
>
>

> 6. The current db that I adobted is over 6 years old and I have no
> way of knowing if it were ever secured or not
>
> Hope this helps, in order to help me.
>
> Jerrod
>
> "Joan Wild" wrote:
>
>> jerrodklein313 wrote:
>>> Thank you again. You have helped me so much, as well as so many
>>> others. We all appreciate yours, and the other regular helpers on
>>> here, so much.
>>
>> I appreciate the feedback, thank you.
>>
>>> So I am back in business. I am still having issues with the three
>>> users. I did discover something unusual though. I noticed on one
>>> persons issue, you told the person to look under the workgroup
>>> administrator section to see what workgroup they belonged to.
>>
>> Every installation requires some workgroup file (mdw); Access can't
>> work without one.  Out of the box, it ships with a workgroup file
>> named system.mdw.  Access uses this workgroup for all sessions.  It
>> silently logs you in as a user named 'Admin' using this system.mdw.
>> Every installation of Access has the same system.mdw, and the Users
>> Group and the Admin User are common to all.  That is why it is
>> important not to give any permissions or ownership to either the
>> Users Group or the Admin User.  It is also crucial to create a new
>> mdw file, as this will ensure that the Admins Group is different
>> than the Admins Group in system.mdw.
>>
>>> When I did this for the user that is having an issue with the
>>> 'Admin' error message, I found the workgroup section contained a
>>> lot of boxes.
>>
>> What boxes do you mean?  A computer can have many mdw files
>> available to it. You are always joined by default to one of them.
>> Normally one would keep system.mdw as the default, as that one will
>> be used for all Access sessions requiring no security.  When you
>> want to launch a secure mdb, you'd use a desktop shortcut with the
>> /wrkgrp switch to over-ride the default (for just that session).
>> You could join the secure mdw as your default, but that becomes
>> rather tedious to keep changing the default.  Desktop shortcuts are
>> easier.
>>
>>> My settings look like this: C:\Documents and
>>> Settings\<myname>\Application Data\Microsoft\Access\System.mdw
>>> I tried to copy and paste this into her settings in order to join
>>> the same group as the one I belong to, obviously using her name in
>>> the <myname> spot.
>>
>> Well system.mdw on your system should be the standard one that ships
>> with Access.  That is not likely the secure mdw you created when you
>> secured the mdb.
>>
>>> When I do all this, it says that I have successfully
>>> joined the group. I try to reopen the db, and it says it can't find
>>> the group. So I try to change the group mannually, and go to the
>>> same location in the c:drive and it wont let me change it. The
>>> unknown workgroup remains. All I have to say is Arrrggggg!!!
>>
>> What version are you using?  If 2002 or 2003, go to that person's
>> machine and just open Access (not your secure mdb).  If it can't
>> find system.mdw, it'll create a new one.  If you are using 2000, you
>> can copy a pristine system.mdw from some one else's computer.
>>
>> You should put your secure mdw (again this isn't/shouldn't be
>> system.mdw on your computer) in a folder on the network that users
>> have full access to. Give the users a desktop shortcut with a target
>> like: "path to msaccess.exe" "path to mdb" /wrkgrp "path to secure
>> mdw on network"
>>
>> I have a feeling that you didn't create a new workgroup file when you
>> secured.  If that is the case, then your mdb is not secure at all.
>>
>> --
>> Joan Wild
>> Microsoft Access MVP