Tag Archives: permissions

Solution: Outlook Error: “Outlook Data File Could Not Be Accessed”

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This is a pretty annoying little problem that I’ve seen at least a couple of times over the past several months.

It occurs when you attempt to sync within Outlook, normally following a data transfer or other procedure that involves bringing an existing .PST file into play without jumping through the hoops of importing the data into a new .PST shell.

The solution is actually easy, though it’s not necessarily easy to discover.  All you have to do to solve the problem is select the folder to deliver mail to (Inbox) for each email account.  Under the Account Settings dialog box within Outlook, there is a Change Folder button near the bottom.  This is where the setting is changed.

But what if you can’t even open Outlook?  You can still access the mail settings without running the program.  The easiest way to do this is to click Start > Start Search > type mail and then open the Mail shortcut that appears under the Control Panel heading in the search results.  This opens the standard Outlook mail dialog box as if you were running Outlook.

Solution: Windows could not connect to the Group Policy Client service

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Under specific circumstances, I’ve encountered this message following a reboot on systems I am repairing/setting up:

Failed to connect to a Windows service

Windows could not connect to the Group Policy Client service. This problem prevents standard users from logging on to the system. As an administrative user, you can review the System Event Log for details about why the service didn’t respond.

The System Event Log also logs an event regarding the service timing out.  When attempting to stop/restart/configure the service, none of the options are available; they’re merely greyed out, though the service is present.

The solution is pretty simple:

  1. Change the permissions on the relevant keys configuring the Group Policy Client service to allow Full Control to Administrators.
    1. Open regedit (Start > type regedit in the search box) and navigate to:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\gpsvc
    2. Right-click the registry key and choose Permissions.
    3. Click Advanced, then click Owner.
    4. Choose Administrators and check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects box.
    5. Exit the permissions dialog and then open it again.
    6. Click Advanced, then choose Administrators and click Edit…
    7. Check Allow underneath Full Control, then click OK.
    8. Check Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object.  Click OK and confirm; exit.
  2. Download the default gpsvc configuration information corresponding to your version of Windows:
  3. Back at the Registry Editor window, click File > Import… and choose the .reg file you downloaded above.
  4. Merge the changes with the registry.  Reboot.

Problem solved!

Solution: Recover an Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager Database from a failed PC

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Computer dead?  Don’t have a good backup of your Business Contact Manager data?

This is a serious problem.  It’s not an easy thing to find a solution to, either; those that exist only seem to work for some people, and only under particular circumstances, too.  So in this post, I’ve set out to provide a solution that should work for everyone–hopefully.

Just one preliminary note: this only pertains to the 2007 version of Outlook. While it may work in other versions, I haven’t tested it there.

Okay.  So you’ve got a dead computer (maybe yours, maybe your client’s), and you have the files recovered from the drive–perhaps from a backup.  But unfortunately, as simple as it ought to be, recovering a Business Contact Manager database is far from it.  You can’t simply retrieve the files and then import them somehow.  In fact, from my recent experience, you can’t even make it work unless you follow a very specific order of operations.

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. You first need the *.mdf and *.ldf files from within the Business Contact Manager Local Application Data/%LocalAppData% directory.  Be sure to copy only those files which correspond to your current database (probably those with the most recent Modified date).  You can retrieve those from the failed drive (or backup) by navigating here:
    • On XP, they’re in %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Business Contact Manager
    • On Vista/7, they’re in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Business Contact Manager
  2. Copy these files to the new PC and place them in a temporary location on the new PC (such as the user’s Windows Desktop).
  3. Install Office 2007 (if it isn’t already installed), along with the Business Contact Manager.
    • If Office is already installed and you’ve already configured Business Contact Manager, you have no choice but to completely remove everything related to Business Contact Manager.  That means everything: Business Contact Manager 2007, and all listed software related to SQL Server 2005. 
  4. Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 (you’ll need the very latest version just in case the files are from a later version than the freshly-installed one, which is likely).
  5. Open Outlook 2007.  Start the Business Contact Manager wizard and instruct it to create a new database with the same name as the old database.  If you’re unsure what the old database was named, it’s easy to tell: simply take whatever text comes before the .mdf and .ldf (it should be identical), and that’s your database name.  It’s very important that the names match!
  6. Immediately close Outlook after the database creation is complete.
  7. Stop the MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ service.
    • You can either use the services.msc interface to do so or open a Command Prompt and type sc stop “MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ” at the prompt (then press ENTER).
  8. Copy the .mdf and .ldf files from the old PC (wherever you saved them) to the Business Contact Manager working directory on the new PC, overwriting the new files with the old ones.
    • It should be obvious where the working directory is located.  If you’re unsure, re-read the sub-points on Step 1.
  9. Set permissions on the .mdf and .ldf files to allow Full Control to Everyone.  Here’s a helpful page on the subject in case you aren’t familiar with this process.  Be sure you set the permissions correctly!
  10. Restart the MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ service.
    • Again, you can use services.msc or type sc start “MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ” at a Command Prompt.
  11. Finally, start Outlook 2007 and verify that all data has been successfully recovered.

Congratulations, you’ve done the impossible!