You receive a "You are trying to open a read-only database" error message when you open a database that was created in an earlier version of Access in Access 2002 or Access 2003 (324666)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Office Access 2003
- Microsoft Access 2002
This article was previously published under Q324666 Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user
computers.
This article applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).
SYMPTOMS In Microsoft Access 2002 and Microsoft Office Access 2003, if you move a database file that was created in earlier
versions of Microsoft Access from one
computer to another computer, and you then try to open the database on the
other computer, you receive the following message: You
are trying to open a read-only database.
The first time you open an
earlier version database, you must be able to write changes to the
database.
* The database file's read-only attribute may be set; clear
this attribute.
* You may have chosen the Open Read Only command in
the Open dialog box. Don't choose this command the first time you open the
database.
* Your license to use this application may have expired.
Note Microsoft Office XP has built-in functionality that allows you to
get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages.
If you want to turn on this functionality for this and other error messages in
Microsoft Office XP, download the"Office XP add-in: extended alerts button" from
the following Microsoft Office Update Web site: NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking Web Info in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts turned
on. CAUSE The Read-only attribute of the file may be set. This occurs automatically if
you use a compact disc-recordable (CD-R) or a compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW)
to move the file. RESOLUTION You must reset the Read-only attribute of all Access files, such as .mdb and .mdw, that you
move by using a CD-R or a CD-RW. To do so, follow these steps:
- On the desktop, double-click My Computer.
- Locate the Microsoft Access database that you
moved.
- Right-click the database name, and then click Properties.
- In the Properties dialog box, clear the Read-only check box under Attributes.
- Click OK to apply the change.
- Open your database in Access.
Note that you no longer receive the message that is mentioned
in the "Symptoms" section of this article. MORE INFORMATION This behavior may also occur if you use a CD-R or a CD-RW
to distribute a file with user-level security and transfer a workgroup
information file (.mdw) to the destination computer. If you experience this
behavior, follow the steps in the "Resolution" section to clear the Read-only attribute for the accompanying .mdw file.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 11/23/2004 |
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| Keywords: | kbopenfile kberrmsg kbprb ocsso KB324666 |
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