Password security for all Access files

[Lars Brownies]

I have some users who also use Access apps developed by a former employee.
This developer used Access security options so that every user of his
application has to enter a password to start his application. However, this
accounts for every Access file these users start, also files that don't use
security settings. I would like these users to be able to start my
application without having to enter the password.
Can someone point me in the right direction how to solve this issue?

Further, if I would want the password prompt to be removed also for the
application this other developer made, how would I do that?

Thanks,

Lars

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:05:50 +0100, "Lars Brownies"

Access workgroup security is an advanced topic. You should not mess
with it until you first download, study, and fully understand the
Access Security FAQ from microsoft.com.

If in fact the apps are prompting for a password only (rather than a
username/password), that can fairly easily be removed. The FAQ and the
help file address this topic.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Lars Brownies]

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Lars

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:05:50 +0100, "Lars Brownies"

Access workgroup security is an advanced topic. You should not mess
with it until you first download, study, and fully understand the
Access Security FAQ from microsoft.com.

If in fact the apps are prompting for a password only (rather than a
username/password), that can fairly easily be removed. The FAQ and the
help file address this topic.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[John W. Vinson]

I have some users who also use Access apps developed by a former employee.
This developer used Access security options so that every user of his
application has to enter a password to start his application. However, this
accounts for every Access file these users start, also files that don't use
security settings. I would like these users to be able to start my
application without having to enter the password.
Can someone point me in the right direction how to solve this issue?

Further, if I would want the password prompt to be removed also for the
application this other developer made, how would I do that?

Thanks,

Lars

The problem is evidently that all of the applications are using the same
workgroup file (probably SYSTEM.MDW in the default \Windows\System32
directory)... and that the former employee didn't understand how to do
security correctly.

The Microsoft Access 2000 Security FAQ Tom mentioned can be found at

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/207793/en-us

It explains how to set up security correctly. It's not clear how your former
coworker did it, but I hope that there is still a default SYSTEM.MDW file
around which doesn't have the security settings. If so, you can use Tools...
Security... Workgroup Administration to join that mdw file. It will have a
user Admin with no password. You can use this workgroup file to get into
unsecured databases; you'll still need the secured mdw file to get into
secured databases, unless (as is quite possible) he screwed that up too.

 

[Lars Brownies]

Thanks John. I'll try to figure out how the security was setup and then
probably remove it from the databases all together, since there is actually
no real need for.

Lars

 

[John W. Vinson]

Thanks John. I'll try to figure out how the security was setup and then
probably remove it from the databases all together, since there is actually
no real need for.

Do download the FAQ. If you know the passwords that were used, it's not all
that hard to unsecure a database (tedious but not very difficult). The FAQ
explains the process.