Uninstalling Microsoft Access or Microsoft Office removes the System.mdw file and the sample databases

When you uninstall Microsoft Access or Microsoft Office, the System.mdw file and the sample databases are removed, even if you have made changes to these files.

To resolve this problem, obtain Microsoft Office 2000 Service Release 1/1a (SR-1/SR-1a).

To obtain SR-1/SR-1a, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft Office 2000 SR1 resolves the issue of the System.mdw being removed when you uninstall Microsoft Access. However, the Northwind sample database will still be removed.

To temporarily work around this problem, before you uninstall Microsoft Access or Office, make a backup of the System.mdw file and of any sample databases that you modified.

You must use the same Name, Organization, and Workgroup ID if you already uninstalled Microsoft Access or Office and you need to re-create the System.mdw file.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 2000 SR-1/SR-1a.

Microsoft Access uses the System.mdw file to store security information about Microsoft Access databases. Microsoft Access projects do not store security information in the System.mdw file.

The following sample databases are removed. The default location for these databases is in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples folder:

Steps to Reproduce the Problem

1. After installing Microsoft Access, verify that there is only one System.mdw file on the hard disk. By default, it is located in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office folder.
2. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
3. Make a copy of the Employees table.
4. On the Tools menu, point to Security, and then click User and Group Accounts. Create a new user and give a password to the Admin account.
5. Close Microsoft Access.
6. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
7. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
8. In the Add/Remove Program Properties dialog box, click the Install/Uninstall tab, and click Microsoft Office 2000 in the program list. Click Add/Remove.
9. Click Add or Remove Features.
10. Click the plus signs (+) until you see a tree structure such as the following:

       Microsoft Office
          Microsoft Access for Windows
    					

11. For Microsoft Access for Windows, click Not Available, and then click Update Now.
    
    Note that the System.mdw file and the sample database Northwind.mdb are no longer on the hard disk.

For more information about the System.mdw file, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type work with a workgroup information file in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.