It sounds like you are still in the early stages of your Access
journey. Welcome to the fold.
It will probably be most helpful to you if I lay out some of what
should have been your journey to get to the point where you want to
be. First read the below and then print this as a guide.
0. First make a copy of your existing database application with no
one using it. Save that copy in a different folder than the one in
which you are working. Make all of your tests and trials from the
copy in the new/different folder. Once you have your copy saved, you
can let the one user continue to work. Later you can synchronize
things so long as you don't make changes to the design other than to
"Split" it - see below. If in doubt, make your users await your go
ahead.
1 Split your database application. Look in Access Help for "Split"
and you'll find it. Rather than confuse you with simpler
alternatives, try doing it the way suggested in Help and post back if
you run into difficulties. I usually rename the new files as
ProjectNameGUI.mdb and ProjectNameDAT.mdb. That makes the names
longer but relieves ambiguity later. If you might want to support
things in more than one version then I'd get a 2 digit version into
the name, too: ProjectNameGUI03.mdb.
2. Put a copy of the new BackEnd on the server or on a shared folder
available to everyone with the same pathname; such as
\\Server\foldername Every user must have read and write access to the
destination folder.
3. Open the new FrontEnd and (look in Help to find the location of
the "Linked Table Manager" for your version of Access. Using the
Linked Table Manager, select All tables and check the "Ask Me"
checkbox. In the new dialog, navigate to \\Server\foldername and find
and select the BackEnd you put there and click OK. The Linked Table
Manager should report success. If it didn't, keep at it until it
does.
4. Put a copy of the new FrontEnd on every user's PC. It could be
placed on the desktop, or in a regular folder with or without a deskto
p icon.
HTH