ACC2: No Permission for Utility.mda When Starting MS Access

• Microsoft Access 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

When you start Microsoft Access version 2.0, you may receive the following error message:

   No permission for '<path>\UTILITY.MDA'

CAUSE

You have run an Access Basic procedure that removed the Admin user from both the Admins and Users group. Note that if you try to do this through the user interface instead of through code, you receive the following error message:

   Can't remove user from group 'Users.'

RESOLUTION

Quit Microsoft Access. In Windows Explorer or Windows File Manager, copy the current System.mda file into System.old. Then run Wrkgadm.exe and create a new System.mda file. You should now be able to start Microsoft Access.

To prevent this problem from occurring, follow these steps:

1. Start Microsoft Access and open any database.

2. On the Security menu, click Change Password. Assign a password to the Admin user account. The following procedure assumes that you have changed the Admin user's password to "password" (without the quotation marks).

3. Create a new module and type the following procedure:

         Sub sectest ()
   
            Dim ws As WorkSpace
            Dim usr As User
            Dim grp As Group
            On Error GoTo Errorhandler
            Set ws = dbengine.CreateWorkspace("", "admin", "password")
            ' Create user NewAdmin and add to Admins group.
            Set usr = ws.CreateUser("NewAdmin", "xxx555", "identify")
            ws.users.Append usr
            usr.groups.Append ws.CreateGroup("admins")
   
            ' Remove Admin from Admins, Users group.
            ws.groups("users").users.Delete "admin"
            ws.groups("admins").users.Delete "admin"
   
            ' Log on again and add NewAdmin to Users group.
            ws.Close
            Set ws = dbengine.CreateWorkspace("", "NewAdmin", "identify")
            Set usr = ws.users("NewAdmin")
            usr.groups.Append ws.CreateGroup("users")
   
         Exit_sectest:
            Exit sub
   
         Errorhandler:
            Msgbox CStr(Err) & " " & Error(Err)
            Resume Exit_sectest
   
         End Sub
   
   

4. Run this procedure and quit Microsoft Access.

5. Restart Microsoft Access; enter "NewAdmin" as the log on name and "identify" as the log on password.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. In Windows Explorer or Windows File Manager, copy the current System.mda file into System.bak.

2. Start Microsoft Access and open a new database.

3. Open a new module and type the following code:

         Sub sectest ()
            Dim ws As WorkSpace
            Dim usr As User
            Dim grp As Group
            On Error GoTo Errorhandler
            ' Create user NewAdmin and add to Admins group.
            Set ws = dbengine.CreateWorkspace("", "admin", "")
            Set usr = ws.CreateUser("NewAdmin", "xxx555", "identify")
            ws.users.Append usr
            usr.groups.Append ws.CreateGroup("admins")
   
            ' Remove Admin from Admins, Users group.
            ws.groups("users").users.Delete "admin"
            ws.groups("admins").users.Delete "admin"
            ws.Close
   
            Exit_sectest:
               Exit sub
   
            Errorhandler:
               Msgbox CStr(Err) & " " & Error(Err)
               Resume Exit_sectest
         End Sub
   
   

4. Close the database and quit Microsoft Access.

REFERENCES

For more information, see Microsoft Access "Building Applications," version 2.0, Chapter 14, "Securing Your Applications," pages 340-344.