Description of how to help protect a Microsoft Access database (289885)

MORE INFORMATION

• You create the database and its objects while you are logged on as the Admin user.
• You do not remove the default Users group permissions that are granted in full for all objects.
• Your distributed application includes the same System.mdw file that was used to create the database. In the System.mdw, the Admin account has no password and is a member of the Admins group.

1. Start Microsoft Access, and then open any database.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click Workgroup Administrator. Create a new system database (System.mdw) that has a unique name, organization, and workgroup ID.
3. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User and Group Accounts. Click the Change Logon Password tab, assign a password to the Admin user account, and then click Apply.
4. In the User and Group Accounts dialog box, click the Users tab. Create a new user account, and then add the account to the Admins group.
5. In the Name box under User, select the Admin user name. Remove the Admin account from the Admins group, and then click OK.
6. On the File menu, click Exit. Restart Microsoft Access.
7. Create a new database.
   
   After you have named the new database and clicked OK, the Logon screen appears.
   
   Note that this is different from earlier versions of Access, where the Logon screen appears before Access starts.
8. Type the name of the user that you created in step 4. Leave the password blank.
9. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User and Group Accounts.
10. Click the Change Logon Password tab, type a password, and then click OK.
11. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User and Group Permissions. Click the Permissions tab, and then select Groups under the List options to display the group names in the User/Group Name box.
12. In the User/Group Name box, click Users. Select the appropriate object type in the Object Type box to display the various objects in the Object Name box, and then remove the default Users group permissions for the following objects that appear in the Object Name box:

    <Current Database>
    <New Tables/Queries>
    <New Forms>
    <New Reports>
    <New Macros>

13. Import all of the objects from your original database into the new database.
14. Create other group and user accounts as necessary.
15. Assign group and user permissions to your objects as appropriate.
16. Optional: Close the database, and then use the Encrypt/Decrypt Database command (click Tools, and then point to Security) to encrypt the database. (This step is optional.)