Step 1.
Make a copy of the SYSTEM.MDW file found in the
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ directory. Name this file SYSTEM-BAK.MDW. If you
accidentally corrupt this file, you will always have a back up of it.
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Step 2.
Create a work group using the Work Group Admin Program
(WRKGADM.EXE) found in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ directory. When the
program opens, click on the ‘Create’ button.
Enter a Name, Organization and Workgroup ID. They can
be pretty much anything you want. Make a note of this information just
in case you need to recreate this file again
later. (I have never had to recreate a work group file, so I don’t
know how reliable it would be).
Click the ‘OK’ button, and change the Database
text box to something like (C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SECURE.MDW). This will
create a (.MDW) file named ‘SECURE.MDW in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\
directory. DO NOT click the ‘OK’ button if ‘C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTEM.MDW’
is showing in the text box. If you do, you may end up corrupting the
SYSTEM.MDW file. After this you will receive a couple of information
boxes, ‘OK’ click your way though these which will bring you back to
the ‘Workgroup Administrator’ program box.
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Step 3.
Verify that you have joined the ‘SECURE.MDW work
group by clicking on the ‘Join’ button. The Database text box should
read (C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SECURE.MDW), if it does, click the ‘OK’
button and a message box will appear informing you which work group you
have joined. Click ‘OK’ and then ‘Exit’.
If the Database text box does not read
(C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SECURE.MDW), then click the ‘Browse’ button,
locate the (SECURE.MDW) file, select it and click ‘OK’. Click ‘OK’
two more times and then ‘Exit’
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Step 4.
Open Access and open a ‘TEST’ database to work
with. Go to ‘Tools-Security-User and Group Accounts’.
The first tab is the ‘Users’ tab. Click ‘New’
to create a new user. This new user will be you, the database
administrator. Enter your Name and a Personal ID. The Personal ID is not
going to be your user password, you may never need this ID again, but
make a note of it anyway. You should now have two users, yourself and
Admin. In the lower part of ‘User and Group Accounts’, you will see
that you have two ‘Groups’, Admins and Users. Add the ‘Admins’
group to your account and remove the ‘Admins’ group from the ‘Admin’
name.
Now, check to make sure you are a member of the ‘Admins’
group and the ‘Users’ group and that ‘Admin’ is only a member of
the ‘Users’ group.
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Step 5.
Click on the last tab ‘Change Logon Password’. The
User Name should be ‘Admin’. Type a new password for ‘Admin’ and
then verify it in the box below that. Do not type in the ‘Old Password’
text box, there is no old password to enter. Click ‘OK’. This step
is done to keep someone from using "ADMIN" as the user name,
knowing that it (by default) has no password, and complete security
rights. You are in effect disabling the ADMIN account.
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Step 6.
Go to ‘Tools-Security-User and Group Permissions’.
This is where you will set the permissions for the database objects.
There are still only two ‘Users’ and two ‘Groups’. REMOVE ALL
permissions for the user ‘Admin’ and GRANT ALL permissions for ‘Yourself’.
You will need to go through each ‘Object Type’ to remove and grant
permissions. Select the ‘Groups’ option. REMOVE ALL permissions for
the group ‘Users’ and GRANT ALL permissions for the group ‘Admins’.
Never assign any permissions to the user ‘Admin’. After your
database is secure, you can go back and add permissions to the ‘Users’
group. You can also change the owner of database object by clicking on
the ‘Change Owner’ tab. You will not be able to change the owner of
the database. It will remain ‘Admin’ until you create a new database
logged on as ‘Yourself’. When you have set all permissions, click
‘OK’.
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Step 7.
Close the ‘Test’ database and close Access.
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Step 8.
Open up Access. You will be prompted to enter a Name
and Password. Enter your user account name you created earlier. Do not
enter a password. Click ‘OK’. Open your ‘Test’ database. Go to
‘Tools-Security-User and Group Accounts’ and then select the ‘Change
Logon Password’ tab. The user name should be whatever you logged in
as, eg ‘Your-name’.
Enter a New Password and then Verify it in the box
below it. Do not type anything in the ‘Old Password’ text box. Click
‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’. Close out of the ‘Test’ database and
out of Access.
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Step 9.
Open up Access. Enter your user Name and the Password
you just created. Open the ‘Test’ database. ‘Go to
Tools-Security-User Level Security Wizard’. The current user should be
‘Your Name’ and the workgroup file should be something like
(C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SECURE.MDW). Make sure all of the check boxes are
checked. Click ‘OK’. Select a name for you new secured database and
a location. Do not use the same name as the unsecured database. Click
‘OK’. After the Wizard has done it’s thing, you will receive a
conformation stating the only you and members of the ‘Admins’ group
of the current workgroup have permissions on the database. Click ‘OK’.
Close out Access.
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Step 10.
Create a ‘Short-cut’ on your desk top to your ‘TEST’
database, type the following in the ‘Target’ box. The yellow text is
the syntax needed to open a database and use a secured workgroup file to
do so.
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE"
/wrkgrp "C:\Windows\System\Secure.mdw" "C:\PathName\Secure
Test.mdb" (Note that this may be different, depending on
where your files are located.
Pay special attention to the quotes
around the path to Access, the name of the Workgroup file itself, and
the name of the target database file.
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Step 11.
Join the ‘SYSTEM.MDW’ work group using the Work
Group Admin Program (WRKGADM.EXE) found in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\
directory. Don’t forget this step or every time you open Access, you
will be prompted for a Name and Password.
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Step 12.
Now, if you open Access, you should not be prompted
for a Name or Password. When you click on your new ‘TEST.MDB’
short-cut, you should have to enter a Name and Password. If you open
Access and then try to open the ‘SECURE TEST.MDB’, you should get a
message stating that you do not have permission to open it.
If you can open it, check the permissions for the ‘Admin’
user. Make sure they have NO permissions on the database or objects.
From this point, you can add users and groups and set permissions for
then. You must be logged on as ‘Yourself’ to do this. |
