| Microsoft Office 2000/Visual Basic Programmer's Guide | |
In addition to a locking information file, Access 2000 creates a workgroup information file (.mdw), also known as the system database. (The default file created when Access 2000 is installed is named System.mdw.) This file is a Microsoft Jet database that stores information about the users, groups, and passwords for a secured database, and its location in multiuser environments is important. The workgroup information file can be placed on the local workstation or shared on a network drive. However, if it's stored locally, you must take the steps necessary to update it when security settings change. For more information about workgroup information files, see Chapter 18, "Securing Access Databases."
Note In versions of Access prior to Access 97, the workgroup information file is used to store various options that the user can set. It also stores the most recently used (MRU) list of databases opened. In Microsoft Access 2000, settings in the user's Options dialog box (Tools menu, Options command) and MRU information are stored in the Windows registry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Access\Settings subkey on each user's computer.