ACC: Privileges Needed for Workdir Folder

• Microsoft Access version 7.0, 97

SYMPTOMS

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

When you start Microsoft Access on a network workstation, you may receive the following error messages:

   Can't update. Database or object is read only.

   -and-

   A system error occurred, or there isn't enough free memory to start
   Microsoft Access. Close unneeded programs and try again.

CAUSE

Microsoft Access was installed on a network server with the Workdir folder set to Read-Only.

RESOLUTION

Make sure that all Microsoft Access users have at least Read and Write privileges for the Workdir folder. The first user to run the Microsoft Access Wizards also needs Create privileges so that Microsoft Access can create the associated .ldb files. After the .ldb files are created, the users will no longer require Create privileges unless any of the users have Delete privileges for the Workdir folder. This is because of the new automatic creation and deletion behavior of .ldb files in Microsoft Access.

For more information about .ldb files in Microsoft Access 95 and Microsoft Access 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q136128
   TITLE     : ACC: Introduction to .ldb Files (95/97)

If your operating system does not allow you to have a single read/write folder of a read-only shared folder, make the Microsoft Access program folder read/write, but make all the files in the Microsoft Access program folders (except for the Workdir folder) read-only.

For more information about privileges needed for the Workdir folder, refer to the Netwrk8.txt file, which is located in the Office folder on the Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 1 CD. This file is also copied to the server during an administrative installation of Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 1.

You can find the contents of Netwrk8.txt in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172856
   TITLE     : OFF97: Contents of the Enterprise Netwrk8.txt Readme File

MORE INFORMATION

When you start Microsoft Access on a network workstation, you must have Write privileges for the following files in the Workdir folder on the server.

For more information about permissions needed by the Workdir folder, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q167172
   TITLE     : OFF97: Workdir Needs Add'l Permissions for Workstation
               Install

In Microsoft Access 97

   System.mdw, Wizard.srg, Wzcnf80.mda, Wzdat80.mdt, Wzlib80.mde,
   Wzmain80.mde, and Wztool80.mde (the wizard files)

In Microsoft Access 95

   System.mdw, Wd95acc.tlb, Wzdat70.mdt, Wzlib70.mda, Wzmain70.mda,
   and Wztool.mda (the wizard files)

To verify that the problem you are having is caused by incorrect privileges for the Workdir folder, try using a supervisory-level logon to start Microsoft Access on the workstation.

REFERENCES

For more information about installing Microsoft Access on a network, search the Help Index for "shared databases," and then "share a database on a network," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.