ACC: Removing User Admin from Admins Group Cannot Be Reversed

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

If you start Microsoft Access as the Admin user (which occurs by default), and then remove the user Admin from the Admins group, you will not be able to go back and make the user Admin a member of the Admins group during this session.

CAUSE

As soon as you remove the user Admin from the Admins group, this change is written to the Microsoft Access system tables. At this point, the Admin user no longer has permission to add anyone to the Admins group, including itself.

RESOLUTION

To add the user Admin back to the group Admins, you must log on as another user who is in the Admins group.

STATUS

This behavior no longer occurs in Microsoft Access for Windows 95, version 7.0. In version 7.0, if you try to delete the Admin from the Admins group while you are logged in as Admin, you will receive the error "can't perform this operation."

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Change the password for the user Admin from blank to some nonblank password. (NOTE: This will enable you to bring up the Log On dialog box at the start of the next session.)

2. IMPORTANT: Create a new user and add this user to the Admins group. (There must always be at least one user in the group Admins. Remember that you are currently logged in as the user Admin.)

3. Remove the user Admin from the Admins group.

4. Try to add the user Admin back to the Admins group. Note that you receive the error:

         No permission for 'Admin'
   

       If you leave the Security menu and return to change the settings, you
       will receive the error:
   

           'No Permission for MSysGroups'
   
   

5. Quit Microsoft Access and restart it.

   The Log On dialog box will appear because of the change you made in step 1.

6. Log on as the user that you created in step 2.

7. Add the user Admin back to the Admins group.

   NOTE: To disable the Log On dialog box, you must change the Admin password back to an empty string (do not enter any information in the New Password or Verify fields).

REFERENCES

Microsoft Access "User's Guide," version 1.0, Chapter 25, "Administering a Database System"