ACCESS 2003 Security Warning (1 Viewer)

I have read through the various posting regarding ACCESS 2003 security warnings. As like everyone else, I receive a security warning stating, “This file may not be safe if it contains code that was intended to harm your computer.” I have already installed Microsoft Jet 4.0 Service Pack 8 and I have already enabled sandbox mode. This warning still appears when I try to open databases sent to me by other people. It also appears when I try to create a new database from my own computer. I understand why this message may appear when I open other peoples’ databases, but why would this error message appear on my own computer after I create a database from the very same computer? I would like to market my databases to specific clients, but I need to eliminate the security warnings that would appear each time they opened my databases from their computers. I don’t want to suggest that people change their security levels to low in order to open my database. For this reason, I am considering the option of digitally signing my databases with an authenticated signature. As something like this would run anywhere up to about $400.00, I want to make sure that it would be the best, and correct, option for me. My ultimate question: If I am already trying to create databases from my own computer and receive this warning message, would a digital certificate work in eliminating the error message for my future clients? Also, I understand that I may use the signatures for up to a year. Would I be able to use this for multiple databases that I create as long as it’s within that one year, or would I only be able to sign one specific database and use that same database for the entire year? This is a bit of a pricey endeavor for me, so if there are any other options, I’d love to hear those, too. Thank for the help in advance!

You can create a personal digital certificate and have your users install your personal digital certificate instead of buying a commercial digital certificate.

Q re digital signatures

OK. I know this thread is old. I've spent 4 days on the internet trying to educate myself about digital signatures and I am depressed. It appears most of you are fulltime developers. I am not. I have a small business where I write Access applications and other 'special projects' using Office. My applications, etc. are for small businesses or individual corp. departments and are for specific needs .. not huge corporate-wide ones. I had to put my business on hold for the last 2 years due to personal reasons, and we also moved. Now I am back in business. Before all my customers had Office 2000 and they never had a problem with Security Warnings when I installed their application for them on their PC. I still use 2000 because of the problem with backward compatibility...many small businesses have not gone to Office 2003. I just completed my first project since resuming my business. I copied the application to his PC, created the shortcut, and was ready to see a happy customer. What we got were 2 security screens each time we accessed the application warning about digital signatures. He asked if he had to go thru that everytime he ran it (8x a day) and I said I'd get back to him.
Please do not accuse me of NOT exhausing this forum. I have; and other forums and microsoft. It is easy for some of you to say "just go buy a certificate for $400/year." Well, that's a humungous expense for my little business. I am creating applications usually for a single user... my customers trust me. I have researched selfcert, makecert, and read for 25 hours now and I'm really not that far ahead. And I am not some ditz. I know this is a forum for just Access, but when I do my first Powerpoint or Pub brochure for a small customer who now has Office 2003, and I going to have the same problem? I can't find any clear, sane, and comprehensive answers ... except "buy yourself a certificate!" This is crazy. The reason I appended to this thread instead of opening a new one is the last response by ghudson: "You can create a personal digital certificate and have your users install your personal digital certificate instead of buying a commercial digital certificate." THis sounds like a sensible solution. I've seen instructions for creating a personal signature using selfcert. Since my customers are usually not very technical, how would I install my personal certificate on their PC and somehow attach it to the Access file (or whatever) so Office 2003 is happy? I thank anyone in advance who will read my question, and then take the time to answer me compasionately. Ta. Sid.

If this warning is what I think it is

Now if you just plain want to get around the problem go to
Tools/Macro/Security and set it to Low

Read the warning that is there. Basically puts you back to Access 200/97 type security.

I am neither recommending of Not recommending. I am saying it is there.

Your decision

I write applications for internal use at my company. It's what I do

L

You can also programmatically control the security level. Search Access Help on Application.AutomationSecurity.