Question

Lock file mistakenly seeing a user when logged out???

Asked by: jdolan2587

Hi,

Is it possible for a MS Access Database lock file to think a user is still using the DB enen thought they are not?  If so, is there anything that can be done?

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2004-12-21 at 06:32:57ID21249740
Tags

access

,

lock

,

file

Topic

Microsoft Access Database

Participating Experts
7
Points
500
Comments
22

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. DB locking
    i am new to programing in VBA with access 2000 file format. i am using ADO 2.7 and Jet V4 (no sql server here). i am try to teach myself this stuff and it can be frustrating. here is my question. i am trying to run this code: Public Sub EasyLoop() Dim cnn1 As New ADODB.Conn...
  2. Access DB record locked ?
    hi.. I am going to build an application which uses MS Access 2000 and VB 6.0. I'm using ADO 2.5 to connect VB to the DB. The application I'm going to build is going to be used in an intranet, so there would be more than 5 or 6 user opening the application at the same time. ...
  3. DB2 Table Lock
    I'm using DB2 version 7.1 running on United Linux 2.4.19, and I'm experiencing a lot of table locks instead of row locks. I'm using DB2 cli in C++ to access the database. Is there any configuration that I can use to avoid table locks ? That situation is very critical once it ...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: peter57rPosted on 2004-12-21 at 06:36:47ID: 12875957

Hello jdolan2587,

Delete the ldb file when everyone has exited the application.

Pete

 

by: capricorn1Posted on 2004-12-21 at 06:40:37ID: 12875987


check here for more info regarding .ldb

Introduction to .ldb files in Access
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=208778

 

by: NGPSoft1Posted on 2004-12-21 at 08:09:17ID: 12876765

You can view the users listed as logged in using LDBViewer, available from Microsoft below.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;176670

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-21 at 10:14:08ID: 12877910

when a user closes the database and there are still other people connected the .ldb file marks them as inactive and the next user to connect takes their place ... so yes it does look a little funny but that is how it is.

Steve

 

by: mlmccPosted on 2004-12-21 at 12:25:59ID: 12878959

If they just turn the machine off or Ctrl-Alt-Delete out then Access doesn't remove them.

mlmcc

 

by: jdolan2587Posted on 2004-12-21 at 14:43:06ID: 12880038

Thanks for your input guys.  I still need to read some more of the links provided.  It is really starting to be a pain.  I wish I could put my thumb on the problem.

Jim

 

by: jdolan2587Posted on 2004-12-21 at 14:48:55ID: 12880074

Would it be helpful if users shut down their computer at the end of each day?  I know some people keep them on until they are forced to restart.

 

by: capricorn1Posted on 2004-12-21 at 17:19:35ID: 12880814

It would be much better if the user will close the db before shutting down their computer

 

by: mlmccPosted on 2004-12-21 at 17:28:20ID: 12880856

>>Would it be helpful if users shut down their computer at the end of each day?
No.  The users need to correctly exit the database so Access can delete them from the LDB file.  If they exit in any way other than through the close  database menu, they may get left in the ldb.  We found that even users who clicked the X in the upper right sometimes remained since our closing code may not get run.

mlmcc

 

by: jdolan2587Posted on 2004-12-22 at 10:11:21ID: 12886180

Is it preferred to have a close form button, or at least have users click file and then close????

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-22 at 15:05:02ID: 12888371

I have never had a problem no matter how they close the application, as long as they close it and do not ctl+alt+del or turn off the PC.

Steve

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-22 at 15:07:01ID: 12888384

If you are sure the lock file is still there and no one else is in the database then it is a sure bet they are exiting with one of the 2 bad methods, kill or power off, which is going to corrupt the database if they are ever editing a record when they do it.

Steve

 

by: mlmccPosted on 2004-12-22 at 19:22:08ID: 12889793

stevbe:
Our trouble was not from an Access point but our close out code didn't run.  They did get released from the ldb file however our table showing logins and logouts didn't show the logout.

mlmcc

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-23 at 07:35:25ID: 12893015

mlmcc  ... so that is an entirely different situation from the question at hand.

 

by: capricorn1Posted on 2004-12-23 at 07:45:06ID: 12893107

hmmm?

mlmcc,
would you like to elaborate more on that , so the experts around might be able to figure out what's happening?

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-23 at 07:49:49ID: 12893163

cap ... not that I do not have an intereset in mlmcc's observation but they are not the orighinal questioner ... my guess is that they have code that is run off a specific button click rather than a Form_Close event.

Steve

 

by: capricorn1Posted on 2004-12-23 at 07:58:52ID: 12893253

steve,
i didn't notice that.

thanks and happy Holidays

rey;-)

 

by: stevbePosted on 2004-12-23 at 08:02:05ID: 12893291

HH to you also rey :-)

Steve

 

by: mlmccPosted on 2005-01-03 at 10:02:24ID: 12945380

Glad i could help

mlmcc

 

by: PoharaPosted on 2005-01-07 at 08:28:35ID: 12984841

The Lock file is created any time the program is started. In an application I wrote I actually wanted the Lock File to stay even if the user exited.  It was easy to do this by simply creating the lock file with a higher previllage and removing the ability for the user to delete the file. This allowed the users to start the DB, BUT NOT delete the lock file.
Why do this?
In the common directory that the application existed in I wanted to grant users the abilitily to modify the files BUT NEVER delete them. The problem was that Admin level users when they signed in had the delete privillege and when they exited if they were the only user then the lock file would go away.  When a user that did not have create file tried to use the DB the lock file could not be created.

This is a long comment but I would suggest that you look in the directory and make sure that all users can actually delete the lock file.  If they cannot then it is very possible that when they exit the lock file will remain.

 

by: jdolan2587Posted on 2005-01-07 at 09:44:51ID: 12985827

Very Interesting.

 

by: oraclexviewPosted on 2005-04-11 at 10:04:13ID: 13754616

jdolan:

I don't know if this will help, but I would suggest creating a close out/exit application button that you could place on a timeout modular form so that after a certain amount of time with the database file being open the user is prompted to exit the database.  By making the form modular, they are forced to close this way only.  This is basically what I use, and I found that it helps keep the database closed when not in use for certain period of time.  You can get creative with this to your needs for your application.  If you are interested in such a method, I or one of the many experts on this forum can assist you with this as well.

I would also look into Pohara's comment because that suggestion does seem interesting and I'm considering implementing something similar to their suggestion.

Good luck!
oraclexview

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...