About the Users and its Password

M

Martin

I creat an Access file, and set some ID(users) and its password (Using
Access's "T-T-A" ). When you open this file, it will require you to enter
your ID and password.

However, I found that if I copy this Access file to another computer, when
open, it will NOT require you to enter ID and password?

Why????

Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer to make
the former ID and password available?

Thank you.

Martin
 
T

Tom Wickerath

Hi Martin,

I assume by "(Using Access's "T-T-A" )", you mean Tools > Security > User
and Group Accounts, since T-T-A would represent the hotkeys to this menu.
It's probably best to spell stuff out, instead of getting too cryptic. My
recommendation is to just use Windows security to control who has access to
your database. The built-in user-level security is not all that secure.
However, if you still want to use it, take a look at this set of instructions:

The 10 Steps Summarized
http://www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/The10Steps.htm


I suspect that you omitted step #6.


Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

I creat an Access file, and set some ID(users) and its password (Using
Access's "T-T-A" ). When you open this file, it will require you to enter
your ID and password.

However, I found that if I copy this Access file to another computer, when
open, it will NOT require you to enter ID and password?

Why????

Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer to make
the former ID and password available?

Thank you.

Martin
 
T

Tom Wickerath

PS. I forgot to answer the second part of your question:
Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer
to make the former ID and password available?
Click to expand...

If you implemented Access User level security correctly, you would not have
modified the System.mdw file. Instead, you would have created your own
workgroup information file (*.mdw). The new .mdw file needs to be available
to your users on other computers. This means either installing a separate
copy on each PC, or better yet, using a shared copy of the .mdw file on a
file server. The latter option is a lot easier from a maintenance point of
view.

In addition, you should use a shortcut that includes the workgroup
information file instead of permanantly joining to your new .mdw file. The
target of the shortcut is limited to 256 characters total, including spaces
and " symbols. It includes:

"FullPath to msaccess.exe"
"FullPath to your database"
/wrkgrp
"FullPath to your .mdw file"

There are quotes surrounding the three FullPath specifications, but not the
/wrkgrp switch. This is all strung together in the target line, with a single
space separating the values, something like this:

"FullPath to msaccess.exe" "FullPath to your database" /wrkgrp "FullPath to
your .mdw file"


Make sure that the name of your back-end database is not the same as the
..mdw file, if they are stored in the same folder.

Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

Hi Martin,

I assume by "(Using Access's "T-T-A" )", you mean Tools > Security > User
and Group Accounts, since T-T-A would represent the hotkeys to this menu.
It's probably best to spell stuff out, instead of getting too cryptic. My
recommendation is to just use Windows security to control who has access to
your database. The built-in user-level security is not all that secure.
However, if you still want to use it, take a look at this set of instructions:

The 10 Steps Summarized
http://www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/The10Steps.htm


I suspect that you omitted step #6.


Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

I creat an Access file, and set some ID(users) and its password (Using
Access's "T-T-A" ). When you open this file, it will require you to enter
your ID and password.

However, I found that if I copy this Access file to another computer, when
open, it will NOT require you to enter ID and password?

Why????

Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer to make
the former ID and password available?

Thank you.

Martin
 
M

Martin

1. You are smart :) I am really using "Tools > Security > User". Yet I am
not using an English version Access, so, I only know the first letter of the
operation. Sorry :)

2. According to your explanation, I think that I really need to copy the
".mdw" file to anther computer so that the ID and password is in effect.

However, If things are like this, it's horrible in Access Secrity function :
A file thief only need to copy my Access customer file to his own computer,
so that this thief can get all the things of my Access file or change my
Access files constrution -- need not enter ID and the password.

Horrible! I think Access software isn't good enough in this usage.

Thanks Tom! :)

Martin
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

However, If things are like this, it's horrible in Access Secrity function
: A file thief only need to copy my Access customer file to his own
computer, so that this thief can get all the things of my Access file or
change my Access files constrution -- need not enter ID and the password.
Click to expand...

No, if you can do the above, then you done it all wrong.

If you loose your mdw file, then you can't just copy another over it....

And, if you can move the mdb file to anther computer, and get in, then again
you done it wrong.

You SHOULD NOT be able to get into the file if you substitute the workgroup
file, or copy the mdb to another computer
Horrible! I think Access software isn't good enough in this usage.
Click to expand...

No, it means you done it all wrong......

Another workgroup file will NOT work unless it is created with the same pid,
and parameters used in the original one...
 
T

Tom Wickerath

Hi Martin,

Yes, the .mdw file needs to be available to the other users. This means that
individual copies need to be on their hard drives (more difficult for you to
maintain) or a shared copy needs to be available on the file server for all
users to use.

I alluded to Access security not being very secure. In fact, it really only
provides security to those who have no clue about how to get in. It provides
virtually no real security. There are tools available on the internet, which
you can download for free if you know where to look (and I'm not going to
post it here) that will crack database passwords and .mdw security, revealing
usernames and passwords, in a matter of seconds. With that thought in mind, I
say why go to all the bother of implementing security in Access? You're much
better off to rely on Windows security to control who has access to various
files and folders. This problem is not limited to Access. Any data file that
you can copy, that has passwords associated with it, can be cracked, if the
hacker has enough time and energy to devote to the task.


Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

1. You are smart :) I am really using "Tools > Security > User". Yet I am
not using an English version Access, so, I only know the first letter of the
operation. Sorry :)

2. According to your explanation, I think that I really need to copy the
".mdw" file to anther computer so that the ID and password is in effect.

However, If things are like this, it's horrible in Access Secrity function :
A file thief only need to copy my Access customer file to his own computer,
so that this thief can get all the things of my Access file or change my
Access files constrution -- need not enter ID and the password.

Horrible! I think Access software isn't good enough in this usage.

Thanks Tom! :)

Martin
__________________________________________

:

PS. I forgot to answer the second part of your question:
Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer
to make the former ID and password available?
Click to expand...

If you implemented Access User level security correctly, you would not have
modified the System.mdw file. Instead, you would have created your own
workgroup information file (*.mdw). The new .mdw file needs to be available
to your users on other computers. This means either installing a separate
copy on each PC, or better yet, using a shared copy of the .mdw file on a
file server. The latter option is a lot easier from a maintenance point of
view.

In addition, you should use a shortcut that includes the workgroup
information file instead of permanantly joining to your new .mdw file. The
target of the shortcut is limited to 256 characters total, including spaces
and " symbols. It includes:

"FullPath to msaccess.exe"
"FullPath to your database"
/wrkgrp
"FullPath to your .mdw file"

There are quotes surrounding the three FullPath specifications, but not the
/wrkgrp switch. This is all strung together in the target line, with a single
space separating the values, something like this:

"FullPath to msaccess.exe" "FullPath to your database" /wrkgrp "FullPath to
your .mdw file"


Make sure that the name of your back-end database is not the same as the
..mdw file, if they are stored in the same folder.

Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

Hi Martin,

I assume by "(Using Access's "T-T-A" )", you mean Tools > Security > User
and Group Accounts, since T-T-A would represent the hotkeys to this menu.
It's probably best to spell stuff out, instead of getting too cryptic. My
recommendation is to just use Windows security to control who has access to
your database. The built-in user-level security is not all that secure.
However, if you still want to use it, take a look at this set of instructions:

The 10 Steps Summarized
http://www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/The10Steps.htm


I suspect that you omitted step #6.


Tom

http://www.access.qbuilt.com/html/expert_contributors.html
__________________________________________

:

I creat an Access file, and set some ID(users) and its password (Using
Access's "T-T-A" ). When you open this file, it will require you to enter
your ID and password.

However, I found that if I copy this Access file to another computer, when
open, it will NOT require you to enter ID and password?

Why????

Is it that I HAVE TO copy the System.mdw to this another computer to make
the former ID and password available?

Thank you.

Martin
 
M

Martin

Hi Albert,

The fact is that: I copied my .mdb file to another computer, and then in
this "another" computer, I can open this .mdb file WITHOUT any ID or
password (yet these ID and password is created by me in the first computer)

This is my experiment today !!!!
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

As others have pointed out, if you copied the mdw file to another machine
and people can use it without being prompted for ID and password, then you
didn't apply security properly. As Tom suggested, you probably forgot to
remove the Admin user from the Admins group.
 
M

Martin

I can remove the Admin user from the Admins group. But I can't delete the
Admin user.
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

You don't need to delete the Admin user. (You're absolutely correct that you
can't do it). Removing it from the Admins group, though, means that users
will not be able to use the application without the correct MDW file.
 
R

Rick Brandt

Martin said:
That's, you mean, ID,Password -- have to be used with THEIR .mdw file
Click to expand...

Access security is HARD to learn. My estimate is that over 90% of the people
who try to secure their database the first time get it wrong. The security
wizard in some of the versions doesn't even produce a properly secured file.
What's worse is that many of these people go along their merry way without
realizing that what they have done was completely useless.

You need to obtain a detailed step by step set of instructions. If you search
the web you will find these easily. Trying to pick this up with the wizard and
the help file is not going to cut it.

When done correctly the file will only be accessiable when using the correct mdw
and when supplying a proper user name and password. If you find you can open it
with another mdw (something you should always test), then security is wrong and
you need to start over.
 
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