I have a Microsoft Access 97 database that was created for my company by someone who is now no more. The problem being that he had all the permissions set to him withhin the database! Now I cannot change it or access the records within!

If anybody cracks this one I'll eat my foot!

How about trying here:

http://www.lostpassword.com

Don't know if my last answer will work for you, but if so, please don't hurt yourself!

It didn't work but its not your fault.
The problem is that it isn't as simple as finding a lost password it is the inbuilt permission system set in access but when the permissions were set the database was in a workgroup that does not exist anymore and even if i knew the name i would have to go around the houses to find a 95 machine to create the identicle workgroup and admin account with the correct password! Unless anybody nows a BETTER WAY!!!!!!!!

I am a pasat microsoft emp - Access Support
email me and I will give you some security workarounds

If your MS friend solutions do not work try the following: Put the machine on a network that you can sniff, make sure you have a NT Domin server or Wins Server setup a unix samba server would work. LAN Manager software will give up all the inner secrets ( workgroup or domain login attemps and account names). Just sniff the traffic coming from your host. This should identify everything you need minus the password. You can look for the old administrators ".pwl" files on the server and crack them. I have not tried this in a while since Win95 and NT3.5.1 but it should get you close. It will tell you more than you know now!

if that mdw file was the original system.mdw and only modified without the admin being locked out - you can recreate the system.mdw (default is on the office cd) and cojme in as admin.

If that is not the case and you have NO mdw file to use - can you at least open the db at all?

I can view the database and everything it does work but the original problem was that I need to convert it up to 2000 cos all our systems just went up to it. That is when I found out that there was a problem with the permission because it said I had none. But more to the point while looking through the permissions not only did I not have any NOBODY had ANY permissions whatsoever. which was when I twigged about the system.mdw not being with the database anymore but I also twigged the permissions had been removed cos it was created by someone who was here on a temp contract to do some database work for us. I am starting to really panic now cos we need it to work now!
Thanks
Jonathan

if the system works (functional) than you have permisssions
you may not have ownership but you have some permissions if the system is giving some desired behavior

Have you searched all drives to find another mdw file? NOT necessarily system.mdw , but any file with the extension mdw?

have you tried to import the objects into a new database and can you view any of the objects in design mode?

How about trying here:

http://www.rixler.com