DataBase - Pc won't link to data

Asked By ondine

19-Nov-09 07:33 PM

Hi

I am having this very weird problem with a client.  I had to create a
new back-end data file for them due to some corruption a few months
ago, all went well and I opened their front end on the server machine
without any trouble.  However, when I went to one of the other pcs and
opened their copy of the front end it would not link to the data.  I
got a message telling me that I did not have permissions on the folder
etc.  Of course nothing had changed, the folder was shared in exactly
the same way.  I could see the data file in Windows explorer, but
could not open it directly either (similar message), although I could
open other MS Access files.

I seem to remember that the networked pc could open the file if the
server pc did not have it is front-end open, but it was not practical to
leave the client in that situation.  In the end, I found that if I
made a copy of the file and named the copy something else, I could
link to or open it on all pcs.  However - if I changed the name of the
copy back to the original (having moved the original or renamed it)
then I was back to square one.  It was all extremely strange the
frustrating.

I left the data with a different name, but on a subsequent visit
managed to change it back again and everything was fine.  However,
today I had to get them to email me their data file as they had some
data problems - I sorted it out, emailed the file back and replaced
the original file with mine via remote access.  I opened the front end
again on the server pc and all was well.

However: they then tried to get into the system on another networked
pc and have had the same problem - the front end cannot connect to the
data.

I am tearing my hair out - have never come across this in 10 years of
Access development - can anyone please help??

We are all using Access 2000 btw.

Thanks!

Ondine.

19-Nov-09 04:50 PM

ondine,

Just to clarify, before I maek any comments or suggestions...

1.  You have the backend on the Server and the front end on the Server?
2.  Is everybody sharing the same front end?
3.  Are you using UNC mapping?  This question only applies if each Users has
their front end on their machine.

--
Gina Whipp

II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

19-Nov-09 07:33 PM

Hi Gina

Sorry, I did not give all that much detail:

1.  There is no server as such, but a (newish) desktop which stores the
back-end data as so acts as the data server.  The user of that desktop
also has a front end on the same machine.
2.  There are 2 other pc's and each has their own copy of the front
end.
3.  I am using UNC mapping.

This client has had my system for several years.  Their network has
been recently overhauled, including a new router and wiring.  The
setup is more or less the same as in many other clients who have
similar systems (and are problem-free).  I have however had a history
of data corruption with this client, but that usually occurs when he
takes a laptop on business trips with a copy of the data.  Both times
the problem outlined in the post happened there had been data
corruption, but I fixed the problem (removing bad records etc) and
successfully compacted/repaired the data.  Today I had to completely
recreate a table and delete the old one.  I have a copy of the data
here and have no problem linking to it using 2 separate pcs and the
same front end.

Any ideas gratefully welcomed!

Ondine.



ers has
s

19-Nov-09 06:12 PM

I have faced similar situations in which all parties absolutely swear that
nothing was done ... until the network folks noticed that the permissions
were NOT set on the folder/subfolders holding the backend.  ... not that I
ever received an explanation of how they got changed ... <g>

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP

--
Disclaimer: This author may have received products and services mentioned
in this post. Mention and/or description of a product or service herein
does not constitute endorsement thereof.

Any code or pseudocode included in this post is offered "as is", with no
guarantee as to suitability.

You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer
possible/necessary.

19-Nov-09 07:33 PM

I'd love to think it was as easy as that - but it literally happened
over the 15 minute period whilst I was remotely accessing their
system.  The networked pc was connected to the data, I asked them to
shut down Access on that pc, which they did (the .ldb on the data file
disappeared), I downloaded the new back end data file - connected
successfully on the 'server' pc via the front end - and when they went
back into the system on the networked pc they could not connect.

And bear in mind that the only way I could solve it last time was to
rename the back end!

Ondine



t I

19-Nov-09 07:19 PM

Any chance you copied it to their server from a CD?  CDs are read-only, so a
file copied from one would carry that permission.

Have you inspected the permission(s) on the folder and file on the server?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP

--
Disclaimer: This author may have received products and services mentioned
in this post. Mention and/or description of a product or service herein
does not constitute endorsement thereof.

Any code or pseudocode included in this post is offered "as is", with no
guarantee as to suitability.

You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer
possible/necessary.

I'd love to think it was as easy as that - but it literally happened
over the 15 minute period whilst I was remotely accessing their
system.  The networked pc was connected to the data, I asked them to
shut down Access on that pc, which they did (the .ldb on the data file
disappeared), I downloaded the new back end data file - connected
successfully on the 'server' pc via the front end - and when they went
back into the system on the networked pc they could not connect.

And bear in mind that the only way I could solve it last time was to
rename the back end!

Ondine

20-Nov-09 09:57 AM

No, the file was zipped before I emailed it across.  I will check the
permissions on both the file and folder when I go there today.  I
suspect though that I will need to create a new file and import all the
objects and relationships.  I just wonder whether there might be some
kind of hidden corruption in another table which could cause this?

so a
?

20-Nov-09 11:38 AM

Could there be?  Possibly...  I do not know how you would  tell...

When you visit the db, consider making a backup copy (or 2, or 3), then
using compact & repair on it.

Also, consider opening it up, opening a code module, and (if necessary)
re-compiling, then running compact & repair.

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP

--
Disclaimer: This author may have received products and services mentioned
in this post. Mention and/or description of a product or service herein
does not constitute endorsement thereof.

Any code or pseudocode included in this post is offered "as is", with no
guarantee as to suitability.

You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer
possible/necessary.

No, the file was zipped before I emailed it across.  I will check the
permissions on both the file and folder when I go there today.  I
suspect though that I will need to create a new file and import all the
objects and relationships.  I just wonder whether there might be some
kind of hidden corruption in another table which could cause this?

22-Nov-09 05:27 PM

When files are first created in a given folder they, usually, inherit
the permissions of that folder.  When you move the file to another
folder those default permissions go with the file.

If you copy the file though the new file inherits the permissions of
the target folder.

I am wondering if this might be the problem.   Was the BE unzipped
directly into the current BE folder or unzipped somewhere else and
moved?

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
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