works/doesn't work/works/doesn't work

[JustSara]

I'm a newbie and have muddled through designing an Access 2000 Database and connecting it to an internal IIS Win 2000 server with ASP and Dreamweaver. I have a lookup field in the webpage. The problem I have is that when I try to look up a name I get the error: HTTP 500 - Internal Server Error - There is a problem with the page you are trying to reach and it cannot be displayed.

I've unchecked Show Friendly HTTP messages and that's still what I get.

The frustrating part is that if I wait a minute and hit refresh the page will show just fine. If I hit refresh again, right away, I get the error message again. If I wait a bit and hit refresh the page will show just fine. It's the same with all the pages... if I hit refresh too soon I'll get the error message. If I wait about 60 seconds between Refreshes the info will show with no problems.

Any idea why it's doing this or how to stop it?

Sara H.

 

[mission2java_78]

Hi Sarah,

Unchecking the check box only changes the message box for any MS warning or error messages, it cannot fix the problem you have encountered. To me it sounds like a security issue. Check the actual page and makes sure you have read write execute permissions. This is just general NT security.

An internal 500 error generally means the page was found..but that security or some sort of event is not allowing you to view the page. In this case yours sounds like a small security issue. I run apache so I dont know too much about IIS...but the idea is the same.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[jimbrooking]

Sara,

My guess is that the database you're accessing (pun not intended) from the web page is getting itself into a "can't access me" state, perhaps because you are editing something in it from Access. I had a similar problem long ago, and the solution (for me) was to split the database (Database Splitter wizard), keep the tables (back end) where the ASP pages could get at them, and do my development on the front end (queries, forms, reports, etc.), which accessed the back end as linked tables.

When you have a newish database where the tables are constantly changing, it's a bear to keep up with, but certain actions in an open database will indeed keep your ASP pages (or any other user) from simultaneously accessing the database.

If you still have trouble, you might post the code you use on the ASP page - Might see something else.

HTH,
Jim

 

[JustSara]

Thank you jimbrooking. I split the database and it seems to have partly fixed the problem. Hooray! However, my prob. is still happening just not as often. The lady who is using my database is going onto the intranet, and accessing my database to look up a name, hitting Back, looking up a different name, hitting Back, looking up a name... after the 4th or 5th time she does that it will give the "Error 500" again.

Do you know a fix for that? Besides kicking her in the seat of her pants and telling her to quit breaking my baby? lol

Sara

 

[jimbrooking]

Hi Sara,

Well, some progress is good, I guess. Another thing to try is to place a "workgroup information file" on the server with the database. This is a small database named SYSTEM.MDW, and it's located (on my machine) in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\.

My SYSTEM.MDW hadn't been modified - it was as Office installed it. So I just copied it to the server directory that contains the back end database.

I then used the Microsoft Workgroup Administrator wizard (a pointer to it should be in C:\Program Files\Micorsoft\Office\) and "joined" the workgroup on the server.

Next I logged onto the server as Administrator and "joined" the same workgroup info file.

Finally, I used DAO to access the database, not ODBC. And all these things (or some subset of them) solved the problem.

If you'd like, I would be happy to send you a set of generic subroutines I use on all my ASP pages to get at the database with ADO. Easier to modify someone else's code than write your own, I say! Just pop me an email if you want them.

Finally, the page MSIE pops up when the "error 500" problem arises can be made to go away, but I've forgotten how. I now use Mozilla (very happily!) as my browser, and only keep MSIE around to do the wretched Win2K security fixes. I seem to recall that the very bottom of the "friendly" Error 500 page contained some more useful information. But that's all I can tell you.

Jim