i have this problem and i cant get my head round it. i have a user on the network that has access to a shared file which is an access file. problem is three users can access the thing similtaniously. First persons say dave can access it then margaret then say mary gets a read only message. dave seams to be the only one that is able to open the file without it being flagged as open?!?!? from what i thought as soon as a files opened then the next person should not be allowed in or told that its read only. so how can this case be?!?!? all text needs typos. There there for the reader to find,to distract them from the total lack of content. google it! wasnt the answer to the question i asked so dont be dense and give me that repl

Is there more than one location of the same file on the drive or does one of the users have a copy of the file on the local machine?

I'm not familiar with Access, but in Excel you can Share a Workbook, and multiple people can be in it and editing it. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

"from what i thought as soon as a files opened then the next person should not be allowed in or told that its read only." Not true. Access is designed to accommodate several users in the database at one time. Users will have the option to open a network shared database if others have it open, but can only read; not change data. If you want only one user to open it at a time, that user should use the Open Exclusively option. Life's more painless for the brainless.

any how ill get my mits on this on monday. im thinking there is more than one copy of this stupid file floating about all coments where good and valid except the last post which states exactly what my quote says but says its wrong. ill take that as typed first before thought all text needs typos. There there for the reader to find,to distract them from the total lack of content. google it! wasnt the answer to the question i asked so dont be dense and give me that repl

What I said is correct and wasn't typed "before" thought. Your comment is incorrect. When an mdb is opened, other users are indeed "allowed in" with read-only access, unless the database is opened exclusively by the first user. Life's more painless for the brainless.