desperately seeking help with the user-level security wizard

[OhioSteve]

I am trying to understand the user-level security wizard. I want to create a new workgroup info file with a new user account. I want to give this user complete access to everything, no exceptions. My problem is that no matter WHAT I do, the user does not have access to any forms. This is how I respond to the wizard's prompts:

FIRST SCREEN: I leave "create new workgroup information file" checked.

SECOND SCREEN: I leave "I want to create a shortcut..." checked.

THIRD SCREEN: I leave all of the db objects selected.

FOURTH SCREEN: I create a group called "Full Permissions".

FIFTH SCREEN: I do not give the users group any permissions.

SIXTH SCREEN: I add a new user called "myUser".

SEVENTH SCREEN: I put myUser into "Full Permissions" and "Admins".

LAST SCREEN: I click "finish".

Even after all of that, myUser cannot open ANY of the forms in the .mdb. Please help I am really desperate.

 

[easyit]

Hi,

It seems that your DB is not using the proper mdw.

You can control which mdw file is being used. There are two ways for this:
1. Tell the program to join a certain workgroup file (instead of the system.mdw).
2. Tell access to open a certain database with a certain workgroup file
In the first case all your databases will be using the same mdw file. If you have many users they all must be able to access this mdw file. It would not be very practical to use the system.mdw on your hard drive for this, but if stored on shared folder on an accessible server it would be fine. I would not advise you for this strategy however, unless you have only one group of not to many users that will be using not to many secured databases. This because this one mdw file will hold all security information for these people and databases.
The 2nd approach uses shortcuts. Instead of having a shortcut simply point to the database, you also have it say were your access program is and which mdw file is to be used.

Basically you apply security by changing the password of the administrator from blank to something. When done, Access will prompt you for a login name and a password when you try to open a database. No log-in prompt appears when only opening the access program.
But, since you have not assigned and/or removed any rights from objects in the databases yet, security is not implemented fully.

I use the following steps to secure a DB:

1 create a new workgroup file (use WRKGADM.EXE). Do not name it system.mdw or give it the same name as your (new-to-be-secured) database. I would suggest that you name it  SYS_MyDatabase.mdw. If you use only one MDW then continue, else start WRKGADM.EXE again and switch back to the default system.mdw.

2 open access using this new workgroup file 
3 open the database (file menu >> open) that you want to secure. If you used a shortcut (as below) then skip this step - the db should be open already
4 create a new user and add him to the admins group (this will be the new administrator)
5 check that the admins group has rights to all objects in your DB!
6 change the default admins password from blank to something you will remember.
7 remove all permissions from the users group in the database
8 close the database
9 reopen the database the database you are securing (use shortcut if needed) and log in as the new administrator 
10 run the security wizard on the new DB (saves time; the other method is to secure each object in the db manually)
11 remove the (standard) Admin user from the admins group
12 create the users and groups your application needs
13 join your users to their respective groups
14 assign the appropriate permissions to the groups
15 add or remove group permissions as needed.

When you close the DB and reopen it is should be secured.

The shortcut

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" "PATH_TO_DATABASE" /WRKGRP "PATH_TO_MDW_FILE"

EasyIT

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