Disable ability to Convert via Group Policy

[Guest]

We are upgrading from Office 97 to Office 2003. During the deployment we
would like to disable the users who have already recieved Access 2003 from
converting shared databases. Once everyone has Access 2003 we would like to
lift this restriction. Is there a registry key or a way to accomplish this
via group policy?

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

Disable convert on open:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;275164

I don't know how to apply registry setting by Group Policy:
you will have to ask elsewhere.

You probably achieve the same result by individually opening
each database in A2003, and selecting open for read only, or
enable, or something similar: at least in earlier versions,
once you had made that decision, you were not prompted again.

This will still leave the possibility of deliberately converting
by selecting the convert item from the menu. You can prevent
that by removing the 'open exclusive' permission from the
security settings for each database. You can script that,
but unless you have hundreds of databases, you can also
just do it by hand.

(david)

 

[Guest]

We have thousands of databases in the environment. I'm just looking for a
way to disable the convert menu item in Access 2003.

 

[Rick Brandt]

We have thousands of databases in the environment. I'm just looking for a
way to disable the convert menu item in Access 2003.

Since a conversion is harmless and fully reversible it would be a lot easier to
just tell people what NOT to do and deal with it if someone messes up.

 

[Guest]

The problem is that the conversion wouldn't be harmless. If there are 50
people using it for mission critical work and one person converts it the
other 49 that haven't been upgraded would be down until we relized it and
converted back. The other reason is that my customer made it a requirement
of the project that we figure out some way to do it.

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

by selecting the convert item from the menu. You can
but no, that is not a script you would include in a group
policy. You want to just create the script and then run
it across your file servers.

BTW, if your client has 50 people opening 1000s of
mission critical access databases in shared mode, they
should consider hiring an Access professional to explain
to them why that is a bad idea.


(david)

 

[Rick Brandt]

The problem is that the conversion wouldn't be harmless. If there
are 50 people using it for mission critical work and one person
converts it the other 49 that haven't been upgraded would be down
until we relized it and converted back. The other reason is that my
customer made it a requirement of the project that we figure out some
way to do it.

It would also be disruptive if an employee decided it would be funny to pull
the fire alarm.

You have a management issue, not a technical one. Any technical solution
would take longer to implement that simply updating all users at once.

 

[Guest]

I finally figured out a manageable way to Disable all users from being able
to MANUALLY convert Access 97 databases for the duration of the deployment
and then how to give them the ability once everyone is on 2003. Please note,
I am not talking about removing the pop-up to convert but disabling all users
from being able to convert any access database during the 1 month of
deployment of office 2003 and then once the deployment is complete and
everyone has 2003 re-enabling them.

This solution illustrates how this can be done for any menu item in any
Office Application…

Find the Control ID of the Menu Item that you want to disable or enable

In VBA Immediate Window type the following:
? commandbars("menu bar").controls("Tools").controls("Database
Utilities").controls("Convert Database").id
This returns: 30464 (The Menu ID for Tools/DatabaseUtilities/Convert Database)

Configure GPO:
Open Access – Open the Tradewinds sample DB. Then when to Menu
Tools/Database Utilities / Convert Database – it gave me choices

Closed Access

Downloaded the Office Admin Templates (remember directory)

Run MMC then added local GPO console – expand User Configuration
Right Click Admin Templates – Add Remove Templates
Then selected ACCESS11.ADM from the downloaded directory
Then under User Configuration/Admin Templates/Microsoft Office
Access/Disable Items in User Interface/Custom
Then select Disable command bar buttons and menu items – on right
Display properties
Enable radio button – click show
Then Add
Enter 30464 then apply and exit

Open Access and database file - Menu Tools/Database Utilities / Convert
Database is now Grey