I just installed DBA on a server, made the network shares, and setup the clients.  It's all works ok, but I do have a question...  I have to map drives to DBA and persusave?  Can I just use the UNC names?  (ie.  \\server\folder)
 
The problem I have is that the users have a little too much access to the DBAMFG and PVSW folders, I don't want anything to get deleted by accident..   can I make any of them read only/hidden?  Maybe deny access to others?  We use Windows 2000 Server w/AD and W2k Pro for clients.
 
Thanks

Whoa!  Thanks for the fast reply!
 
Ok, so I can remove the Pervasive drive from the users and the Subdirectories under DBAMFG correct?  Can I also make all the files in the DBAMFG folder read only?  I don't want a user deleting them by accident and the whole system going down...

So I have to share out the DBAMFG folder and allow read/write access to it?  I should just restore from a backup if anyone deletes anything?  Is there a work around for this by any chance?
 
Thanks

I just did find a work around.  You can remove the drive from being displayed in Windows Explorer (Includes My Computer and all windows 'save' dialogs).  However, the drive is still available to the system for use.  (ie. DBA...)
 
There is a key in the registry to disable the viewing of drives.  This is what I did and it worked perfect:
 
1.  [Hkey_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVesion\Policies\Explorer]
 
2. Add a Dword Value there called 'NoDrives'
 
3. Modify it (decimal value) to a number that corresponds to the drive you would like to hide from users.  It is binary and the values start at A: and go all the way to Z:.  For example, drive A: is 1, B: is 2, C: is 4, D: is 8... etc..  You can disable all drives with a value of 67108863.
 
So, if I want to hide drive M: (the drive I currently mapped to DBA, I used value 4096).  You can also add the values together.  To hide drive A: and drive C: you would use 5.  
 
I used Windows 2000 server with Active Directory and I will be pushing this registry value out to all machines when they logon with group policy.  I just tested it with a test machine/user I have setup and it worked excellent.  DBA works as normal and the drive is gone.
 
Remember that changing the registry is risky business if your not careful, so make backups (as always...) and watch out.  Especially, if you have it to import to all machines on the network...
 
-Just offering advice for other DBA admins that encountered this, I'm not responsible if anything goes south.  Also, it's important to note that the drives will be hidden to casual users.  You can still get to the drive by going through the command prompt (which I disabled for normal users here anyway) or using winfile.exe (which I will delete from all machines soon).
 
-Keith

I have used it so far on Win98Se and Win2k and it worked.  I don't know about 95 or XP though.  I don't have any machines here to test it on.  
 
As for the text file reports and exporting data you bring up an interesting point.  Maybe I could write a quick batch file to copy the reports out of the DBAMFG share and then put it on the users desktop.  Say one that would copy all *.txt excluding version.txt.  It should work because the system (batch files included) can see the drive ok, I'll try it tomorrow.
 
Do you know off hand if there would be any other functionality lost from setting up this kind of access control?
 
-Keith

Kevin,
 
Unfortunately that is not always true.  On some machines (and I don't know why some but not others) when you include a path in the Save in DBA for any report, you can't do anything else in DBA until you exit out and come back in again.  The program gets lost somehow so whatever you try to do next in DBA it says "Unable to fine file BKSOF.RUN" or whichever program you are trying to run.  This is yet another quirk of the existing TP5WDBA.EXE that is solved by the Evolution menu overlay.