Trouble setting up security

[Guest]

I'm trying to set-up security in Access 2002.
I was following the step by step instructions & created a new workgroup
file, then went to Tools, Security, Users and Group Accounts.
Created a new user & then when I went to delete the admin I received an
error, because I don't have the correct permissions to do this.
So, I called the help desk & they had to call back. I closed Access & left
what I had done.
Now, help desk called & I went back to Tools, Security, User and Group
Accounts, & all permissions to add, delete, etc are grayed out, and there are
no longer 3 tabs as there were before. The Groups tab is gone.
So, now what do I do? The help desk is searching, but I thought I would try
here thinking it could be faster.
The help desk did say that I should have just put a password on Admin since
I can't delete it, &they can't give me that permission.
Is it too late to set the passwords for the admin and the user name I created?
Also, now when I go to Tools, Security, I can't click on "User and Group
Permissions" or "User-Level Security Wizard".
Have I totally screwed this up or is there a way to start over?
I'm so frustrated!!!!
The users want this "live" next week. That means I need to setup the
security, split the database & copy to all the users desktop. UGH!!!!!!!!!!
HELP!
Thank you

 

[Lynn Trapp]

Mary,
First of all, you can't delete the Admin user. You can simply remove it
from the Admins group. However, you must log on as a member of the Admins
group to be able to do this. It doesn't sound like you have followed all the
steps. Take a look at the Security FAQ and follow it to the letter. You can
find a link to it on the Security page of my website.

--
Lynn Trapp
MS Access MVP
www.ltcomputerdesigns.com
Access Security: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/Security.htm
Jeff Conrad's Access Junkie List:
http://home.bendbroadband.com/conradsystems/accessjunkie.html

 

[BruceM]

The Security FAQ is no doubt a comprehensive document, but it is very
difficult to understand. Joan Wild lists several links on her web site:
http://www.jmwild.com/Accesssecurity.htm
Joan has a summary version of setting up security, and provides links to
several other sites, including Lynn Trapp's site. In my experience, which
is limited and has frankly been quite frustrating so far, reading all of the
documents on Joan's site may help you to a better understanding than be
achieved through any single document. It's partly a question of
terminology. For instance, one of the documents tells you to cancel through
a dialog, but that doesn't actually mean to press the Cancel button.
Rather, it means to leave the password blank, and to click OK. Once I got
past that I could profitably return to the document that confused me on that
point, since it was quite clear and concise on other points.
One important point. User-level security is not easy. People will tell you
that all you need to do is follow the FAQ, but that is much easier said than
done. It is important to understand it, but it will take a lot of study.

 

[Joan Wild]

For instance, one of the
documents tells you to cancel through a dialog, but that doesn't
actually mean to press the Cancel button. Rather, it means to leave
the password blank, and to click OK. Once I got past that I could
profitably return to the document that confused me on that point,
since it was quite clear and concise on other points.

Can you point me to the page that caused the confusion. I'd like to make it
clearer.

 

[Guest]

I would go back to the backup file (it has the same name as your mdb, but a
bak extension). Rename all the mdw files on your computer. Rename the bak
to have a mdb extension.

No you should be able to open that file and start over.

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone, I did have "Access 2002/2003 Security Step by Step & when I
came to step 9 I confused myself, although now I understand it.
The help desk says that I should delete system.mdw file to start over with
the step by step instructions. However, I still have the issue of the "User
and Group Permissions" and the "User-Level Security Wizard" is grayed & I
can't use them. So, how can I continue to follow the step by step if those
items are unavailable to use.
How do I correct that issue?
Thanks for helping the access challenged.

 

[Guest]

Joan,

Don't really know why BruceM is confused. I've seen the pages he refers too
and I didn't have any trouble understanding the instructions.

All access users listen up. The only page you need to read to set up Access
Security correctly is located below:

http://www.jmwild.com/security02.htm

-Alias

 

[BruceM]

Thanks for your interest. The difficulty I had, as I recall, was with item
5 in the Access 2000 instructions:
Open Access, canceling the opening dialog.
I have not had time to get back to this for several days, and do not recall
the details as clearly as I would like, but the way I remember it is that
after performing the first four steps I opened Access and was presented with
a password dialog. Cancelling that dialog generated an error message.
Leaving the password blank and clicking OK let me in.

Perhaps I missed something obvious, but I started from the beginning several
times, always with the same result. I will be revisiting this matter in the
next several days, and will post again if I discover that my recollection of
the difficulty I experienced is inaccurate.

The difficulty I first had with this process, and the reason I scouted
around for other information after reading the the security FAQ is all I
need, was with the Microsoft Security FAQ. Section 1, Step 5 reads in part:
"log back on as the new user account that you created in step 4. You will
not have a password ... so now is a good time to set one." I figured out
that logging in as the new user account probably meant clearing Admin as the
user and typing in the new user. I then attempted to set the password ("now
is a good time to set one"). However, "now" means "later". I needed to
change the name from Admin to the new user, then click OK without entering a
password. Setting the password comes later, through the Security menu, as I
eventually learned.

 

[BruceM]

The instructions in the link you provided are not for Access 2000. The
reason you "don't really know" why I am having difficulties with the
instructions is because you did not wonder if my experience is in any way
different from yours. I should have mentioned, of course, that I am using
Access 2000, but at the same time you should have been less quick to assume
the sole variable is the difference in our respective abilities to follow
directions.

 

[Joan Wild]

Thanks Bruce, I'll try and make it clearer. More inline...

Thanks for your interest. The difficulty I had, as I recall, was
with item 5 in the Access 2000 instructions:
Open Access, canceling the opening dialog.
I have not had time to get back to this for several days, and do not
recall the details as clearly as I would like, but the way I remember
it is that after performing the first four steps I opened Access and
was presented with a password dialog.

That seems odd, as the dialog shouldn't appear until you've set a password
for the Admin user which is step 10. The dialog I'm referring to is the one
with 'create a new database, open existing file, etc'.

The difficulty I first had with this process, and the reason I scouted
around for other information after reading the the security FAQ is
all I need, was with the Microsoft Security FAQ. Section 1, Step 5
reads in part: "log back on as the new user account that you created
in step 4. You will not have a password ... so now is a good time to
set one." I figured out that logging in as the new user account
probably meant clearing Admin as the user and typing in the new user.
I then attempted to set the password ("now is a good time to set
one"). However, "now" means "later". I needed to change the name
from Admin to the new user, then click OK without entering a
password. Setting the password comes later, through the Security
menu, as I eventually learned.

Yes that's right. Step 5 says 'log back on' which to me means login - i.e.
username/password. I'll edit the page to make that clearer.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[BruceM]

Joan,
My apologies. That was not the dialog box instruction that left me puzzled.
Rather, it was the one in Step 12:
Open Access and log in as the user you created in step 7 (the password will
be blank). Cancel the opening dialog.
I took Cancel to mean click the Cancel button, but as I recall it is
necessary to leave the password blank and click OK.

 

[Joan Wild]

Joan,
My apologies. That was not the dialog box instruction that left me
puzzled. Rather, it was the one in Step 12:
Open Access and log in as the user you created in step 7 (the
password will be blank). Cancel the opening dialog.
I took Cancel to mean click the Cancel button, but as I recall it is
necessary to leave the password blank and click OK.

That's right; you need to login (providing a blank password). The 'opening
dialog' refers to the one that opens with the recently used file list, and
has options to create a new mdb, use the wizard or open one of these file.