Computer Software for Steel Professionals

Issues With Windows File Access Permissions

There is no need to be an administrator to use Structural Material Manager; as long as an administrative user account is used to install the system, a limited user account can later access it. All accounts, however, whether they be administrative or limited, need to have full access rights to the \EJE folder.

It is the responsibility of the Network Supervisor who installs Structural Material Manager to give each user full access rights to the \EJE directory and its subordinate directories. Anything less than full rights would cause the system to crash during certain internal file- and directory-handling operations! To avoid such problems, Structural Material Manager runs some tests "behind the scenes" to see whether full access rights exist, and it shuts down after displaying an appropriate message if full rights are not detected.

Granting full access rights under older Windows operating systems was fairly straightforward. However, beginning with Windows XP Service Pack 2 - and continuing with subsequent Windows releases such as XP SP3, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and various Windows Server editions - the subject of file access permissions has become a bit more complex. These operating systems allow much finer or "granular" control of permissions than was formerly possible, and this can lead to cases in which some users can successfully access Structural Material Manager across the network while others are denied access.

Rarely was anything other than routine, easily-solved access issues occur with Windows versions prior to XP, namely 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0 and 2000. Accordingly, the directions in this technical support document assume Windows XP, 2003 Server, Vista, Server 2008, 7, Server 2012, 8 and 8.1 and do not necessarily apply to older Windows versions.

Note only are permissions-related problems rare in Windows versions before XP, they are also rare for any Structural Material Manager system Version 9.2 or newer. That's because beginning with Version 9.2, Structural Material Manager's Setup program can automatically addresses file permission issues during installation. Thus, most people experiencing permissions problems will be using Structural Material Manager Version 9.1 or older. If you do encounter such problems under 9.2 or later, shut the program down, log in as an administrator, and simply re-install using a Version 9.2 or newer CD. Structural Material Manager’s setup program has an option for “Allow setup program to set file permissions under Windows” that can help when rights need tweaked. Since this is usually not needed, and the process of propagating rights down through the folder hierarchy can be time-consuming, the option is deselected by default. Check it during installation only if some rights-oriented issues are reported or are suspected. Re-installation of 9.2 or later with “Allow setup program to set file permissions under Windows” checked should solve nearly all such issues, but continue on with the rest of this document if it did not.

It should be noted that different Windows configurations affect the exact appearance of the dialog that reveals the properties of a folder. For instance, whether a computer is attached to a Windows domain versus a peer-to-peer workgroup can alter the dialog's appearance. Another example: if Simple File Sharing is in effect, the Security tab will be absent from the dialog, but with Simple File Sharing de-activated, the Security tab will appear. So, when you are asked to reveal the properties of the EJE folder in the course of these directions, remember that the dialogs can appear somewhat different from machine to machine.

With the preliminary information now out of the way, here are some steps to try whenever you experience problems that seem to be related to Windows file access permissions:

  1. Shut down the Structural Material Manager application if it is running.
  2. Go to the PC that actually holds the EJE folder on its hard drive. In a network scenario, this will be the server. If you are dealing with only one PC (but perhaps one that has multiple user accounts on it), this will of course be the local machine.
  3. Log on to a user account that has administrative rights. A limited account will not be adequate for the task at hand.
  4. Reveal the properties of the EJE directory in which Structural Material Manager resides. One way to do this is to right-click (not left-click) the Start button to display a pop-up menu. Left-click on the Explore option that appears in that menu, and browse the drive or folder in which the EJE folder is located. This will usually be the root of Drive C: for local installations, but the EJE folder might be within some other, higher-level folder if you are working at a server. In any event, right-click the EJE folder, and left-click the Properties option.
  5. If Simple File Sharing is enabled on your machine - and that is Microsoft's recommended setting - you will not see a Permissions button at this dialog. In that event, check the box for "Share this folder on the network" as well as the one for "Allow network users to change my files". Proceed to Step 7.
  6. If Simple File Sharing is disabled on your machine - perhaps to allow finer control over security settings for individual files and folders - you'll see a Permissions button at this dialog. In that case, click the radio button next to "Share this folder" and then click the Permissions button. Make sure that the items corresponding to Full Control, Change and Read are all checked under the Allow column, and click Ok to close the "Permissions for EJE" dialog.
  7. Click Ok to close the "EJE Properties" dialog.
  8. Go to the machine that previously experienced the problem, and log on as the user who experienced the trouble.
  9. Test Structural Material Manager.

Attempting to solve the issue via the Sharing tab of the Properties dialog as shown above is always the first step. If that action did not correct the problem, then some more advanced changes to the file permissions may be needed under the Security tab. In that event, have qualified personnel follow these steps:

  1. It is assumed that you are at the machine that actually contains the EJE folder. This will be the server rather than a workstation if Structural Material Manager is invoked across the network via mapped network drive. This will simply be the local PC if Structural Material Manager is being run directly from Drive C: as C:\EJE\SMM.Exe.
  2. Log in as user with administrative rights. The task at hand cannot be performed by a user with a limited account type.
  3. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  4. Double-click the Folder Options item in Control Panel.
  5. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, clear the box next to "Use simple file sharing [Recommended]." We need to make sure Simple File Sharing is disabled here, as the Security tab will not be visible at the Properties dialog if Simple File Sharing is in effect.
  6. Reveal the properties of the EJE directory in which Structural Material Manager resides. One way to do this is to right-click (not left-click) the Start button to display a pop-up menu. Left-click on the Explore option that appears in that menu, and browse to find the EJE folder. This will usually be the root of Drive C: for local installations, but most any drive letter C: through Z: might apply if your Structural Material Manager system is accessed across a network. It is even possible in server-based installations to find the EJE folder subordinate to some other, higher-level folder rather than being located at the root of a drive. Regardless of where you find the EJE folder, right click it, and select Properties.
  7. Click the Security tab.
  8. Click the Advanced button.
  9. Uncheck the box that is labeled "Inherit from parent the permission entries that apply to child objects. Include these with entries explicitly defined here."
  10. A dialog will appear to inform you that parent permission entries that apply to child objects will no longer apply to this object. Click the Remove button at this dialog to remove all existing permission entries for this folder.
  11. If any existing permission entries are still selected, select them, and click Remove.
  12. Click the Add button, and type Everyone as a new group name.
  13. Click Ok to close the Select User or Group dialog.
  14. Check the Full Control box in the Allow column, and all other check-boxes beneath Full Control will automatically become checked.
  15. Click Ok to close the Permission Entry dialog for the Everyone group.
  16. Click Ok to close the dialog for setting the advanced security settings for this folder.
  17. Click Ok again to close the Properties dialog for this folder.
  18. Go to the machine that previously experienced the problem, and log on as the user who experienced the trouble.
  19. Test Structural Material Manager.

If changing settings under both the Sharing tab and the Security tab as outlined above failed to solve the problem, please contact E.J.E. Industries' Technical Support department at 724-228-8841.