MOD2000: modAppOwners Members on Windows 98 Clients Can Delete the modSystem Database

ID: Q243990

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office 2000 Developer

SYMPTOMS

If a member of the modAppOwners local Windows NT group logs on to a Microsoft Windows 98 client and tries to delete the modSystem database of the client computer, the database is deleted, even if the user is not the database owner (dbo).

CAUSE

On Microsoft Windows 98 computers, the sa login automatically does not have a password. (Microsoft Windows 98 doesn't ask you to assign a password for the sa login, and Microsoft Windows 98 computers cannot use Windows NT authentication.) Because there is no sa password, members of the modAppOwners Windows NT group can log on to any Microsoft Windows 98 computer as themselves and perform sa functions, including creating and deleting databases.

RESOLUTION

To prevent unauthorized users from deleting or modifying important Microsoft SQL Server objects, including the modSystem database:

Backup the modSystem database on the same regular basis as you backup other Microsoft SQL Server system databases.
Ensure that all solution-specific changes are made to the solution-specific database instead of to the modSystem database.
Educate your Microsoft Windows 98 users who are also members of the modAppOwners Windows NT group that they should not modify or delete the modSystem database.

NOTE: Microsoft recommends that Microsoft Windows 98 SQL Servers not have a password for the sa login. Using a password for a Microsoft Windows 98 SQL Server causes problems. However, because users on Microsoft Windows NT and 2000 computers can use Windows NT authentication, Microsoft recommends that you add a password for the sa login on Microsoft Windows NT SQL Servers.

If the modSystem database is modified or deleted, you must somehow ensure that this database again appears in the Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Manager before you can continue working with Access Workflow Designer. You can correct the improper modification or deletion of the modSystem database by using either of the following methods:

Reinstall Access Workflow Designer.
Restore the modSystem database from a recent backup.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

As the Microsoft Windows NT administrator on a Microsoft Windows NT computer, add a specific user account to the local Windows NT modAppOwners group.

Log on to the Microsoft Windows 98 client computer as the user name that you created in step 1. This client computer should have the Access Workflow Designer developer components and Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Standard edition installed.

On the client computer, start Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Manager. Open the Databases folder, right-click the modSystem database, and then click Delete on the shortcut menu.

Note that you are able to delete the modSystem database without receiving any error messages.

Additional query words: prb delete drop

Keywords : kbdta modWFDesigner
Version : :
Platform :
Issue type : kbprb