Rebuild a workgroup information file from user and group names and IDs

If a workgroup information file becomes damaged or has been deleted, and a backup copy isn't available, you can re-create the workgroup information file if you have the exact case-sensitive information that you used to create the file and define the accounts and groups in the file originally.

1. Create a new workgroup information file, making sure to enter the exact case-sensitive name, company name, and workgroup ID (WID) that you used to create the original file. Failure to re-enter the exact entries used to create the original file will create an invalid Admins group.

   How?

   A Microsoft Access workgroup information file contains a list of users who share data, also know as a workgroup. Users' passwords are also stored in the workgroup information file. To control who has access to your database, you must create a new workgroup information file.

   1. Start Microsoft Access.
   2. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click Workgroup Administrator.
   3. In the Workgroup Administrator dialog box, click Create.
   4. In the Workgroup Owner Information dialog box, type your name and organization, and then type any combination of up to 20 numbers and letters for the workgroup ID (WID).

      Caution   Be sure to write down your exact name, organization, and workgroup ID ù including whether letters are uppercase or lowercase (for all three entries) ù and keep them in a secure place. If you have to re-create the workgroup information file, you must supply exactly the same name, organization, and workgroup ID. If you forget or lose these entries, you can't recover them and might lose access to your databases.

   5. Type a new name for the new workgroup information file. By default, the workgroup information file is saved in the language folder. To save in a different location, type a new path or click Browse to specify the new path.

   The new workgroup information file is used the next time you start Microsoft Access. Any user and group accounts or passwords that you create are saved in the new workgroup information file. To have others join the workgroup defined by your new workgroup information file, copy the file to a shared folder (if you didn't already save it in a shared folder in step 5), and then have each user run the Workgroup Administrator to join the new workgroup information file.

2. Re-create any group accounts, making sure to enter the exact case-sensitive group name and personal ID (PID) for each group.

   How?

   As part of securing a database, you can create group accounts in your Microsoft Access workgroup that you use to assign a common set of permissions to multiple users.

   To complete this procedure, you must be logged on as a member of the Admins group.

   1. Start Microsoft Access by using the workgroup in which you want to use the account.

      Important   The accounts you create for users must be stored in the workgroup information file that those users will use. If you're using a different workgroup to create the database, change your workgroup before creating the accounts. You can change workgroups by using the Workgroup Administrator.

   2. Open a database.
   3. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User And Group Accounts.
   4. On the Groups tab, click New.
   5. In the New User/Group dialog box, type the name of the new account and a personal ID (PID).

      Caution   Be sure to write down the exact account name and PID, including whether letters are uppercase or lowercase, and keep them in a secure place. If you have to re-create an account that has been deleted or created in a different workgroup, you must supply the same name and PID entries. If you forget or lose these entries, you can't recover them.

      Note   A user account name cannot be same as an existing group account name, and visa versa.

   6. Click OK to create the new group account.

   Note   The PID entered in step 5 is not a password. Microsoft Access uses the PID and the user name as seeds for an encryption algorithm to generate a secure identifier for the user account.

3. Re-create each user account, making sure to enter the exact case-sensitive user name and PID for each user.

   How?

   To complete this procedure, you must be logged on as a member of the Admins group.

   Note   It is usually easier to manage security if you organize users into groups, and then assign permissions to groups rather than to individual users.

   1. Start Microsoft Access by using the workgroup in which you want to use the account.

      Important   The accounts you create for users must be stored in the workgroup information file that those users will use. If you're using a different workgroup to create the database, change your workgroup before creating the accounts.

   2. Open a database.
   3. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User And Group Accounts.
   4. On the Users tab, click New.
   5. In the New User/Group dialog box, type the name of the new account and a personal ID (PID), and then click OK to create the new account, which is automatically added to the Users group.

      Caution   Be sure to write down the exact account name and PID, including whether letters are uppercase or lowercase, and keep them in a secure place. If you ever have to re-create an account that has been deleted or created in a different workgroup, you must supply the same name and PID entries. If you forget or lose these entries, you can't recover them.

   Notes

   • A user account name cannot be same as an existing group account name, and visa versa.
   • The PID entered in step 5 is not a password. Microsoft Access uses the PID and the user name as seeds for an encryption algorithm to generate a secure identifier for the user account.
4. If you saved the new workgroup information file to a new name or location in step 1, tell other users in the workgroup to use the Workgroup Administrator to join the new workgroup information file.