Security question

[Autoeng]

The need came for me to resurrect one of my first secured db's that we haven't used in about three years. I was going through the security settings as my user login, member of Admins, and laughing about leaving Admin as a member of the User group. I corrected this then continued checking my settings making sure new object defaults were set to nothing. When I select Database it told I did not have authority to change. I exited, logged back in under user Admin with password I had create eons ago, but it will not allow me to change ownership of the db to my username. The Change Owner button is greyed out.

I've racked my brain and even downloaded the Security Faq again and re-read it but to no avail.

Can you think of what I might be missing? Of course with the Admin being a member of the Users group I can also get in the db bypassing the security login all together. Thought that this might be it so got in that way but of course I couldn't change ownership to myself as I don't exist in the system.mdw. I'm thinking that maybe the easist thing to do is to create a new db and export everything to it and go through the security setup again on the new one but if I can save myself the headache of setting up all the users and groups again that is what I would prefer.

Thanks for any help you can offer,
Autoeng

 

[RichMorrison]

Maybe I have misread your post ....

Each and every user is a member of the **group** named "Users". Try and remove someone from the group "Users" and see what happens.

The **user** named "Admin" should be:
1) removed from the **group** "Admins".
2) given a password.

That's how you secure a database.

And no, you can't change the ownership of the Database once it is created.

RichM

 

[Autoeng]

I do have FULL ADMINS rights. I can do anything in the db. User Admin is not a member of the Users Group. Everyone but Admin is a member Users group. I can add and remove users from the Users group at will under my login. I can change ownership of everything in the db except the db itself.

It can't be true that you can't change ownership of the db once it is CREATED because you have yet to secure the db when you create it therefore you are using workgroup system.mdw as user Admin. When you run the security wizard all db object ownership is transferred to the username in effect when running the wizard. Perhaps what I did was create the new security workgroup, secured.mdw, via the wizard as user Admin locking the ownership to that user?

Autoeng

 

[Vassago]

Could you create a new database and import everything from the old database?

 

[Autoeng]

New avatar again???

I could but that would mean, probably, securing the new db which would require entering all of the users and groups again and resetting up all of the permissions.

Autoeng

 

[mission2java_78]

Thats what happens when you use access security...have fun .
Jon

 

[Autoeng]

Ah, wait a minute. Item 34 in the security faq says

You must have Administer permissions and/or be a member of the Admins group in the workgroup information file that the database was secured with. Grant full permissions to the Users group and the Admin user account. Put the Admin user back in the Admins group and remove the password from the Admin user. You will not be prompted for a logon ID and password once the password is removed from the Admin user. Optionally, you can also run the Security Wizard again to transfer ownership of all objects back to the Admin user, but the wizard will also remove permissions from the Users group, which you may not want.

If I do the underlined I wonder if I could then transfer the db ownership, then reverse the change. What do you guys think?

Autoeng

 

[Vassago]

That might work, worth a try anyway. Is there a way to import security settings from one database to another?

I like changing my avatar, keeps everyone confused.

 

[Autoeng]

I've come to realize "What difference does it make who is the db owner". For instance, I hire someone to create a db for me and apply the security. At that point they are the db owner but before they send it to me they change ownership of all other db objects to me, assign me to group Admins, remove all permissions from user Admin and I've got the same situation that I have now.

Oh well, sorry to post a non-issue.

Autoeng