Please Help! I want to turn my old PC into a File Server

[Nikki]

Hi my company is very small--we have only 3-4 employees and I have one old PC
which is Windows 2000 and 3 new Windows Vista 2007 computers. If I want to
turn the old PC into a "File Server", is it possible that when I link all of
3 computers to the File Server then they can share files together? Do I have
any problem with that because of old version and new version of Microsoft? (I
know that I have to add memory and network card to the old PC but "Do I have
to buy Vista and install it in the old PC as well?") I want to save my Access
(2007)database backend in the File Server so other 3 new computers can share
the database but I'm not sure that I can do it. I'm new with Access and
computer network so I do appreciate for any suggestion. Thanks

 

[SteveM]

If your machies are networked together, you can create a shared folder on any
of those machines that users can use for shared documents. Alternatively,
each user can have a folder on their machine that is also setup as shared.
This folder would visible to all those on the network and you can set whether
the files can be edited by others or not.

For your purpose, it sounds like you need to setup a folder on one machine
and make it 'shared' with full permissions. You could then 'map' that drive
on each user's PC so that it is the V: drive for everyone...

You don't have multiple people editing the same document at the same time do
you?

Steve

 

[AnandaSim]

Hi my company is very small--we have only 3-4 employees and I have one old PC
which is Windows 2000 and 3 new Windows Vista 2007 computers. If I want to
turn the old PC into a "File Server", is it possible that when I link all of
3 computers to the File Server then they can share files together? Do I have

Yes. they can share files and printers.

Are they already connected with network cable?

any problem with that because of old version and new version of Microsoft? (I

No, there should be no problem with different versions of Windows (in
general).
BTW, Microsoft is the brand, Windows is the product.

know that I have to add memory and network card to the old PC but "Do I have
to buy Vista and install it in the old PC as well?") I want to save my Access
(2007)database backend in the File Server so other 3 new computers can share
the database but I'm not sure that I can do it. I'm new with Access and
computer network so I do appreciate for any suggestion. Thanks

I remember in another thread, SteveM and myself were discussing
sharing files using Vista and Access? Did you manage to complete the
task? If that worked with Vista, that should also work with your old
machine.

There are newsgroups which discuss Windows networking and there are
websites and articles on the web that teach you some stuff.

hth

Ananda

 

[Nikki]

I've saved my database backend file to my PC--made my pc act as a server. We
do open the database and update it almost at the same time so it's very slow.
I'm not sure that it's from the network I have set up wrong. or I have to do
something else with the database backend. And I have read one article about
making an old PC to be a File Server so I think I might try to do it. Thanks
again for your kind help.

 

[SteveM]

Your database updates could be slow for a number of reasons.
Make sure you have indexes on primary and foreign key fields.

Your network may also be slow depending on the speed of your network cards.
NEVER use a wireless network with an Access database.

Good luck!

Steve

 

[Nikki]

Thanks for your info, AnandaSim. I just want to make sure that I understand
it right. If I want to turn my old PC into a File Server and save my BE
database there, I do need to install Access program in the old PC, don't I?

And one more question, now I save BE database on my PC, not old PC and it's
slow when we use FE database at the same time. From what I read, I do need to
compact BE and FE database files, is that correct? Thanks again for your kind
support.

 

[Nikki]

Thank you so much SteveM . Well, I do have some tables which have texts on
primary and foreign key fields. So it causes the database slow, doesn't it?
For example, one of my clients that owns many stores and in different names
and he uses the same number on his different stores for example H101 and
JM101 so when I made a "Store" table, I did make Store ID as a text, not
index. And what's about compacting the BE and FE files? Is it going to make
database run fast?

Thanks

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Access does not need to be installed on the file server.

Yes, all files need occasional compacting.

 

[Nikki]

Thanks a million, Douglas. But still confuse something--If I don't have to
install Access in my old PC (file server) and I want to change any design on
my tables (BE File), do I have to copy it back to my PC which has Access
program to change it, correct? I'm new with Access and network so sorry if I
ask any silly questions. Thanks again! You have a good day!

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Copying it to your machine, making the change, then replacing the old copy
would be the safest approach, although you could just open the back-end from
your client machine. The point is that Access always runs on the client, not
the server.

 

[Nikki]

Thanks so much for your help. Have a great day!