OFF97: Workdir Needs Add'l Permissions for Workstation Install (167172)

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition for Windows
Microsoft Access 97

This article was previously published under Q167172

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

SYMPTOMS

When you run Microsoft Access on a computer that has a "Run from Network Server" installation of Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition or Microsoft Access 97, you may receive the following error messages when you try to use a Wizard:

This feature isn't installed.

To install this feature, rerun the Microsoft Access or Microsoft Office Setup program, click Add/Remove, and then click the Advanced Wizards check box.

This error message appears even though the Wizards have been installed.

CAUSE

Microsoft Access is installed on a network server, and the user has read- only permissions for the \MSOffice\Workdir folder.

RESOLUTION

All Microsoft Access users must have at least Read and Write permissions for the Workdir folder on the server, and preferably Create and Delete permissions also. The first person who uses a Microsoft Access Wizard must have Create permissions for the Workdir folder so that Microsoft Access can create the .ldb file associated with each Wizard database. After the .ldb files are created, users no longer require Create permissions for the Workdir folder, as long as no other user has Delete permissions for the folder. This is because Microsoft Access will automatically delete .ldb files if the user has permission to do so.

Note: the terms given above are correct for Novell servers. The proper permission term for an NT 4.0 server is Change (RWXD)(RWXD).

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

136128 ACC: Introduction to .ldb Files (95, 97)

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The Netwrk8.txt file included with Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition and Microsoft Access 97 states the following in the "Client installation" portion of the section titled "Installing Microsoft Office on a Network:"

It is recommended that users have a read-only connection to the server Office folder when they are running Setup, and also when they are running the applications after a "Run from Network Server" installation.

This information is only partially correct. Users can have read-only permission on the server for all folders except the Workdir folder; that folder requires at least Read and Write permissions, and preferably Create and Delete permissions, for all Microsoft Access users.

REFERENCES

For more information about installing Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition or Microsoft Access 97 from a network server, refer to the Netwrk8.txt file included with the program.

Modification Type:	Minor	Last Reviewed:	1/27/2005
Keywords:	kbnetwork kbprb KB167172