Backend Read-Only in Access 2002

[darall]

I have a shared database where the back-end sits on a network drive and the front end is on each user's PC. For some reason the database is modifying itself to be a read only database. No changes are made it just changes to read only. The file properties do not show read-only, but when you launch the back-end database you get an error:

"The database "PMO_BE" is read-only. You won't be able to save the changes made to data or object definitions in this database.

This message is sporadic, sometimes I go in and everything works fine.

I checked with our network security team and I am told everyone has read/write/delete access to the drive.

Their is also no LDB file to show that the database is Locked.

I have tried to stay away from using Access security as the users are all over and don't have any savvy when it comes to this stuff. And the last time I used security on a database it was a disaster!

Can anyone help? Is there any way to prevent someone from opening a database exclusively?

 

[kjv1611]

This should be occurring when someone has the front end open. That way you can't go in and make changes on the back end and end up messing up something up while the front end is open. It works the same for a database where you may have admin rights and another does not. You shouldn't open it in admin unless no one else is currently in that database.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[darall]

I don't think I clearly stated what is going on. No one can edit records using the front end because the back-end is read-only. I need multiple users to be able to go in and edit their data in the database. I have record-level locking set as the default for the database. But somehow when we try to go into the front-end you cannot edit or add data. After playing around I realized that the back-end was causing the problem with the read-only locking that is happening.

If this is supposed to be happening, how do you share a database with multiple users?

 

[kjv1611]

Well, I would think you have it set correctly already. So, if only one user is accessing the back end, via the front end, even they cannot update/edit any records?

One thing I could think of off the top of my head to look for is this:

Whenever an Access database is open, a temporary locking file is created. If for some reason the database closes abruptly, or is disconnected without correctly closing the database, then that locking file can sometimes be left there, thus continually locking the database.

To check, first make sure you can see hidden files in Windows:
[ol]
[li]Open Windows Explorer[/li]
[li]Go to Tools[/li]
[li]Folder Options[/li]
[li]"View" tab[/li]
[li]Under "Hidden files and folders", make sure the radio button for "Show hidden files and folders" is selected.[/li]
[li]Click "OK" if any changes made, or else "Cancel"[/li]
[li]Then look for a "hidden" file in your database folder with a similar name and an Access icon, with a blue key on top of the normal icon, I believe it is[/li]
[/ol]

Let us know if this makes sense, and whether you maybe have a problem with that temporary locking file being made permanent by some sort of file-closing problems.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[darall]

There is no lock file that's what's weird.

 

[jkl0]

To check read/write/delete access to the drive. See if any of your users can create a text file on the network drive ( in the DB folder) and then delete it. If not then they don't have the right permissions and an ldb file cannot be created.