If you don't already have a workgroup information file with a unique workgroup ID (WID), creating a new workgroup information file is the first step in securing an Access database - and one of the most important.

When you install Access, you enter a user name and organization. The installation program automatically creates an Access workgroup information file that is identified by the user name and organization you specified. Because this information is often easy to determine, it's possible for unauthorized users to create another version of this workgroup information file and consequently assume the irrevocable permissions of an administrator account (a member of the Admins group) in the workgroup defined by that workgroup information file. To prevent this, create a new workgroup information file, and specify a workgroup ID (WID). Only someone who knows the WID will be able to create a copy of the workgroup information file.

Another reason to create a new workgroup information file is that if you secure an Access database without creating a new workgroup information file, and you then remove Microsoft Access or Microsoft Office, the default workgroup information file may also be removed. If you have secured your database without creating a new workgroup information file, and if the default workgroup information file is removed, you will no longer be able to access your database. Although it's possible to rebuild your workgroup information file if you have all the necessary information, this can be a time-consuming process.

Creating a New Workgroup Information File

In Access 2000, you can use the User-Level Security Wizard (Tools menu, Security submenu) to secure a database. You can have the wizard create a new workgroup information file for you. You can also have the wizard generate a report that contains all the information you would need to re-create your workgroup information file.

If you implement security without the wizard, or if you are working in a previous version of Access, you need to create the new workgroup information file on your own.

Create a new workgroup information file without a wizard

1. If you are running Access, exit it.
2. In the location listed in the following table, double-click Wrkgadm.exe to open the Workgroup Administrator, and then click Create.

   Version of Access	Default location of Wrkgadm.exe
   Access 2000	\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\LanguageID
   Access 97	\Windows\System\
   Access 95	\MSOffice\Access\
   Access 2.0	Directory where you have installed Access 2.0.

    Note    In the default location for Access 2000, LanguageID is the number that corresponds to the language version of Office you're running - for example, \1033 for U.S. English. For a list of language identification numbers, type locale identification numbers in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window, click Search, and then click Locale identification numbers for language-specific files. Alternatively, you can use the MS Access Workgroup Administrator shortcut in the \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office folder.

3. In the Workgroup Owner Information dialog box, type values in the Name, Organization, and Workgroup ID boxes. Your workgroup ID can be any combination of up to 20 numbers and letters. Write down the exact values you enter - including whether letters are uppercase or lowercase - and keep them in a secure place.

   

4. In the Workgroup Information File dialog box, type a new name for the workgroup information file and click OK. If you want to save the new workgroup information file to a different location, type a new path or click Browse to specify the new path.
5. Continue to secure your database. After you have defined users and groups and secured your database, make a backup copy of your new workgroup information file and keep it in a secure place.

   If the workgroup information file is damaged or deleted, you lose access to any database you have secured with the user and group accounts that are stored in this file. If this happens, you can restore access to your secured databases by restoring a backup copy of this file.

   If no backup is available, you can re-create an identical copy of the workgroup information file by repeating this procedure and using the values that you wrote down in step 3. After you have re-created the replacement file, you must re-create the user and group accounts that existed in the original workgroup information file.

Additional Resources

For more information about removal of your workgroup information file when you uninstall Access or Office, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

OFF2000: Uninstalling Microsoft Access or Microsoft Office removes System.mdw and sample databases.

For more information about the steps to secure a database, as well as other answers to frequently asked questions about Access security, see the Access Security FAQ Document , available from the Microsoft Personal Support Center.

For more information about using security in Access, see the Microsoft Office 2000/Visual Basic Programmer's Guide (Microsoft Press, 1999).

Information about Access security is also available in Help - see the topics listed in the following table.