Mystery .DBF

[tlc00]

Greetings.
I'm trying to track down the total disappearance of database files. System
characteristics: Win 2000 Pro, not networked no SPs installed; Clipper 5.3b app linked w/ bundled Blinker. Application has run without problems on W98 and during my
testing on Win 2000 Adv Svr. Application automatically generates new databases
if file() function returns .f.:

if .not. file("ar.dbf&quot
do makear
endif

Customer says system works fine on Friday; employee runs app on Saturday to
look up data and Monday AM the database is empty. This has happened twice
so far: both on or about the 15th of the month, and both times when the primary
operator was absent and other employees were using the machine.

Do you know of any instances where Win 2000 will destroy / erase a specific
database? Thanks.

 

[circes9]

here's a long shot...
does the primary user have to log in? If so, do the others use the same log in or have their own?
My thoughts are pertaining to the 'rights' assigned to the users and possibly the other employees.
Any chance to disable the function to create the dbf if file() fails?
good luck
circes9

 

[tlc00]

Thanks for the thoughts...
As I understand it, all users log-in under W2k with the same user name / password. Rights should be the same. (Interestingly, about an hour ago, the primary user is again gone, and others are claiming that the database is clean again.)
I'm going to attempt setting up an automatic backup system to track "when" the corruption / destruction occurs, but it is really strange that it only happens when the primary user is gone.

 

[Handler]

How can I convert Clipper files to Access Database ?

 

[tlc00]

I thought that Access, via the DAO driver, could load .dbf file directly. I found this in the Access .hlp file:

When you install the dBASE database driver, the Setup program writes a set of default values to the Windows Registry in the Engines and ISAM Formats subkeys. You should not modify these settings directly; use the setup program for your application to add, remove, or change these settings. The following sections describe initialization and ISAM format settings for the dBASE database driver.

[I haven't found anything that Clipper couldn't do that Access could; and found a bunch that Access couldn't do.] You could use Access as a front-end to a Clipper file, or VB as a front end -- unless your number of fields exceeds the specs for dBASE III/IV.

Hope this helps.

 

[tlc00]

Follow-up to mystery database: We found that when user B logged in under his own name, that he could start the program, but apparently wiped out the data. If it were Unix, user would have execute rights but not read / write rights to the folder. This may be the default for W2K -- we're testing that hypothesis at this time.