Database Error

T

Ted

Hello,

Recently, I was assigned to support an Access system (with embedded VB).
Anyway, I'm a newbie when it comes to MS Access. The system was written in
MS Access 97. Currently, it is running on XP with Access 2000. No programs
or DB's were converted.

I need to access the DB but I keep getting the 3033 "You don't have
permission to access <db>, have your system admin set up the permissions for
you."

Not sure if the DB is password protected since I do not get a window to
enter password info.

I've already tried the solutions I've read in here and checked privleges and
it should work, but I still get the same error. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ted
 
W

Wayne Morgan

It sounds as if Group Security has been setup. You will need access to the
Workgroup file (*.mdw) that was used to secure the database. You will also
need a user name and password. Once you have that, you can open the database
from a shortcut with a command line similar to this:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\MSACCESS.EXE"
"path\MyDatabase.mdb" /WRKGRP "path\MyWorkgroupFile.mdw" /user username /pwd
password

The newsgroup will wrap the above command, it needs to be all on one line.
To get the command line switches to work, you must specify the MSAccess.exe
file, just listing the database and letting file association open Access
won't work. If you leave off the username and password, you will be prompted
for them. Also, you can tell Access to make this the Default Workgroup file.
If you do, it will be used for all mdb files unless you specify a different
one in a command line as above. However, if the mdb file hasn't been
secured, which mdw file is used probably won't matter.
 
J

John Vinson

Hello,

Recently, I was assigned to support an Access system (with embedded VB).
Anyway, I'm a newbie when it comes to MS Access. The system was written in
MS Access 97. Currently, it is running on XP with Access 2000. No programs
or DB's were converted.

I need to access the DB but I keep getting the 3033 "You don't have
permission to access <db>, have your system admin set up the permissions for
you."
Click to expand...

This strongly suggests that the database was secured using Access
Security. The A97 database should have had an associated Workgroup
file with a .mdw extension - possibly the developer (unwisely)
modified the SYSTEM.MDW file (normally stored in the Windows/System or
Windows/System32 folder, but it could be other places).

This file defines users and groups; the database relies on the user
names from this file to assign permissions. The default user and group
is user Admin in the group Users; in an unsecured database, Admin has
no password and full administrative rights to everything. In a secured
database the Admin user can't even open the database, which is what
you're seeing.

You'll need to use the Workgroup Administrator (open Access, select
Tools... Security, Workgroup Administrator) to Join this database's
security file; and you'll then need to know what user ID has
administrative rights to the database, and what that user's password
might be. If you don't have that information... good luck, cracking
A2000 security is NOT easy.

John W. Vinson[MVP]
 
T

Ted

John and Wayne,

Thank you both for answering my post. I tried to edit the .mdw file but I
kept getting the following error:

"No read permissions on MSysObjects" and "No read permissions on MSysACES'"

Another message appears saying I need to open this file in the original
version of Access in which it was created. So, I pulled it up in MS Access
97, but it only contained a few Queries which listed user names only.

I have multiple user names (of varying permissions) and their associated
passwords to actually log into the system. When I log in to certain
accounts, it says I'm an Adminstrator, but it still won't allow me database
access. The only password I'm missing is the user account of the person that
wrote this system.

Also, when I added the .mdw file to the TARGET(without /user and /psswrd), I
have to complete the userid and password fields twice before it successfully
logs me into the system.

From what I've read from the both of you so far, I'm dead in the water.

If I wanted to crack the system, where would I start? We are having data
problems with this system and I must get access to the DB to fix them.

Once again, thanks to the both of you for all the help.

Sincerely,

Ted
 
W

Wayne Morgan

You don't "open" this file. You use this as the workgroup file by specifying
it on the command line as previously shown or by joining the workgroup using
the workgroup administrator. In Access 97, the administrator was a separate
application that you could run. A shortcut was usually not placed in the
Start menu for it, but if you go to the Office install directory, you will
probably find a shortcut there. In newer versions, go to
Tools|Security|Workgroup Administrator. Once you have told Access that this
is the workgroup file by using one of the two methods above, go to
Tools|Security and modify the User and Group Accounts and User and Group
Permissions. You will need Admin privileges for the database to make these
modifications.
 
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