Win XP Pro, LAN, problems getting to unsecured Access DB

[Sigurd Andersen]

My wife and I have a local area network in our home offices. Both of our
PCs are running Windows XP Pro. We both want to use a database created
in MS Access 2000. When I put the database in my shared folder, my wife
can see the file on her computer, but cannot open it. (She can open
other files, e.g., word documents.) On the chance it might help, I split
the database into front end and back end, put the back end on my shared
folder, and a copy of the front end on her PC. For a while she COULD get
to the database. Then, for no apparent reason, Access no longer lets her
get to the database. I have NOT secured the database. (In case it
matters, I am using Access 2000, she is using Access 2002.)

The error message is, "The Microsoft Jet database engine cannot open the
file '(back end DB)'. It is already opened exclusively by another user,
or you need permission to view its data."

As I don't have the database open when she gets this message, it must be
the latter case. What do I need to do to give her permissions she must
have had at one point? I don't need to secure the database, and would
rather not go this route if it is not necessary.

What do I need to do so that we CAN both use the database? Is it Win XP
Pro that's making our life difficult?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
Sigurd Andersen

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

It may be complaining about NTFS permissions on the folder where the MDB
resides. She needs to have Change (RWXD) in order to work with the database.

 

[Scott McDaniel]

Look in the directory housing your backend datafiles for a file ending in
..ldb. It's the Access Locking file that Jet uses to keep track of who has
the database open. It sometimes gets left behind when Access "hiccups". If
you find it, delete the file (access will create it again next time it needs
it).

Stray .ldb files are caused by a few different reasons ... see Tony Toews
page for details regarding this:

http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

--
Scott McDaniel
CS Computer Software
Visual Basic - Access - Sql Server - ASP

"Smash forehead on keyboard to continue ... "

 

[Sigurd Andersen]

Can you say more? What specifically do I need to do to try your
suggestion? The MDB resides (currently) 2 folders deep in the "Shared
Documents" folder - which is set to be shared ("share this folder on the
network"; "allow network users to share my files"). I don't have to
change sharing on the sub-folders, do I?

 

[Sigurd Andersen]

I did go in and double-check the properties of the Shared Documents
folder. There's a gray check in the "Read-only" box. SO I un-check it,
click on "Apply" and then choose "Apply changes to this folder,
subfolders and files." "Read-only" box is unchecked. If I immediately go
back to look at properties again, the grey check re-appears in the same
place. I don't understand what the grey check means, and why I seem to
be able to change it, but when I look again, it's not changed.

 

[Sigurd Andersen]

There is no .ldb file left behind. Thanks for the suggestion, but that's
not the problem in this case.

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Sorry: I'm still on NT, so I'm not sure what a grey check might mean.

 

[Kelvin]

Sigurd,

Did you set up a domain when you created your network? If so then you need
to create a user on each machine that is to be shared. In other words, if
your wife wants to access files on your machine, there has to be a user
profile for her on your machine. If you want to access files on her
machine, her machine has to also have your user profile on it. This is a
new Windows requirement that was created in Windows 2000 and XP.

Kelvin

 

[Sigurd Andersen]

I did not (as far as I know) set up a domain when creating our network.
[On logging in to my PC, I enter a password, but there's nowhere to
choose a domain.] I did, in trying to fix this problem, set up an
account on my PC that matches the user account my wife uses on her PC
(folder in "Documents and Settings" has an identical name - "bonnied"
and this evening, made sure the name that appears on login is also the
same - "BDA"). Until this evening, the account type was "unknown." I
tried changing it to "Limited," then to "Computer Administrator." After
each change, I went to her PC, logged off and back on, and tried to get
to the database. Every time I got the same error (see original message).
As I said in the original message, she can open other types of
documents from my "Shared Documents" folder, but not this Access
database. She is using MS Access 2002 (XP), I use MS Access 2000. Any
chance this has anything to do with the problem?

 

[Kelvin]

Do both computers have the file open? Maybe your computer is opening the
file exclusively so that the other computer can't access it at the same
time. This would be in the advanced tab under options. One last
possibility is that since your wife's computer is using AccessXP, is the
program set to use XP as the default file format. This is also in the
advanced tab under options. If so, your wifes computer would have asked if
she wanted to open the file in read only mode or to convert the file. If
she said open only, then each subsequent access to this file will come up in
open only. Change the default back to Access 2000 and see if that fixes it.

Kelvin

I did not (as far as I know) set up a domain when creating our network.
[On logging in to my PC, I enter a password, but there's nowhere to
choose a domain.] I did, in trying to fix this problem, set up an
account on my PC that matches the user account my wife uses on her PC
(folder in "Documents and Settings" has an identical name - "bonnied"
and this evening, made sure the name that appears on login is also the
same - "BDA"). Until this evening, the account type was "unknown." I
tried changing it to "Limited," then to "Computer Administrator." After
each change, I went to her PC, logged off and back on, and tried to get
to the database. Every time I got the same error (see original message).
As I said in the original message, she can open other types of
documents from my "Shared Documents" folder, but not this Access
database. She is using MS Access 2002 (XP), I use MS Access 2000. Any
chance this has anything to do with the problem?

Sigurd,

Did you set up a domain when you created your network? If so then you need
to create a user on each machine that is to be shared. In other words, if
your wife wants to access files on your machine, there has to be a user
profile for her on your machine. If you want to access files on her
machine, her machine has to also have your user profile on it. This is a
new Windows requirement that was created in Windows 2000 and XP.

Kelvin

 

[Sigurd Andersen]

No - I am not using the database when she gets the error message. And
her default is set to use MS Access 2000 format. My wife reminded me
that when we had the database on a Win98 PC, she could open it from her
PC. It's only now that it's on the "Shared Documents" folder of my (Win
XP Pro) PC that she can't open it. And she COULD, for a short while, get
to it, but then it stopped working, for no apparent reason.
Frustrates the heck out me!
- Sigurd

Do both computers have the file open? Maybe your computer is opening the
file exclusively so that the other computer can't access it at the same
time. This would be in the advanced tab under options. One last
possibility is that since your wife's computer is using AccessXP, is the
program set to use XP as the default file format. This is also in the
advanced tab under options. If so, your wifes computer would have asked if
she wanted to open the file in read only mode or to convert the file. If
she said open only, then each subsequent access to this file will come up in
open only. Change the default back to Access 2000 and see if that fixes it.

Kelvin

I did not (as far as I know) set up a domain when creating our network.
[On logging in to my PC, I enter a password, but there's nowhere to
choose a domain.] I did, in trying to fix this problem, set up an
account on my PC that matches the user account my wife uses on her PC
(folder in "Documents and Settings" has an identical name - "bonnied"
and this evening, made sure the name that appears on login is also the
same - "BDA"). Until this evening, the account type was "unknown." I
tried changing it to "Limited," then to "Computer Administrator." After
each change, I went to her PC, logged off and back on, and tried to get
to the database. Every time I got the same error (see original message).
As I said in the original message, she can open other types of
documents from my "Shared Documents" folder, but not this Access
database. She is using MS Access 2002 (XP), I use MS Access 2000. Any
chance this has anything to do with the problem?

Sigurd,

Did you set up a domain when you created your network? If so then you
need to create a user on each machine that is to be shared. In other
words, if your wife wants to access files on your machine, there has
to be a user profile for her on your machine. If you want to access
files on her machine, her machine has to also have your user profile
on it. This is a new Windows requirement that was created in Windows
2000 and XP.
Kelvin


I did go in and double-check the properties of the Shared Documents
folder. There's a gray check in the "Read-only" box. SO I un-check it,
click on "Apply" and then choose "Apply changes to this folder,
subfolders and files." "Read-only" box is unchecked. If I immediately go
back to look at properties again, the grey check re-appears in the same
place. I don't understand what the grey check means, and why I seem to
be able to change it, but when I look again, it's not changed.

Douglas J. Steele wrote:


It may be complaining about NTFS permissions on the folder where the
MDB resides. She needs to have Change (RWXD) in order to work with
the database.

 

[Kelvin]

This has gone beyond my knowledge of Windows security. I'm sure this has to
do with Windows and not Access. Try the other Windows newsgroups, maybe you
can get an answer from there. Good luck.

Kelvin

No - I am not using the database when she gets the error message. And
her default is set to use MS Access 2000 format. My wife reminded me
that when we had the database on a Win98 PC, she could open it from her
PC. It's only now that it's on the "Shared Documents" folder of my (Win
XP Pro) PC that she can't open it. And she COULD, for a short while, get
to it, but then it stopped working, for no apparent reason.
Frustrates the heck out me!
- Sigurd

Do both computers have the file open? Maybe your computer is opening the
file exclusively so that the other computer can't access it at the same
time. This would be in the advanced tab under options. One last
possibility is that since your wife's computer is using AccessXP, is the
program set to use XP as the default file format. This is also in the
advanced tab under options. If so, your wifes computer would have asked if
she wanted to open the file in read only mode or to convert the file. If
she said open only, then each subsequent access to this file will come up in
open only. Change the default back to Access 2000 and see if that fixes it.

Kelvin

I did not (as far as I know) set up a domain when creating our network.
[On logging in to my PC, I enter a password, but there's nowhere to
choose a domain.] I did, in trying to fix this problem, set up an
account on my PC that matches the user account my wife uses on her PC
(folder in "Documents and Settings" has an identical name - "bonnied"
and this evening, made sure the name that appears on login is also the
same - "BDA"). Until this evening, the account type was "unknown." I
tried changing it to "Limited," then to "Computer Administrator." After
each change, I went to her PC, logged off and back on, and tried to get
to the database. Every time I got the same error (see original message).
As I said in the original message, she can open other types of
documents from my "Shared Documents" folder, but not this Access
database. She is using MS Access 2002 (XP), I use MS Access 2000. Any
chance this has anything to do with the problem?

Kelvin wrote:

Sigurd,

Did you set up a domain when you created your network? If so then you
need to create a user on each machine that is to be shared. In other
words, if your wife wants to access files on your machine, there has
to be a user profile for her on your machine. If you want to access
files on her machine, her machine has to also have your user profile
on it. This is a new Windows requirement that was created in Windows
2000 and XP.
Kelvin


I did go in and double-check the properties of the Shared Documents
folder. There's a gray check in the "Read-only" box. SO I un-check it,
click on "Apply" and then choose "Apply changes to this folder,
subfolders and files." "Read-only" box is unchecked. If I immediately go
back to look at properties again, the grey check re-appears in the same
place. I don't understand what the grey check means, and why I seem to
be able to change it, but when I look again, it's not changed.

Douglas J. Steele wrote:


It may be complaining about NTFS permissions on the folder where the
MDB resides. She needs to have Change (RWXD) in order to work with
the database.