Mystery bat file - A97

[Keith Wilby]

If I have an mdw file for a secure database, and in the same folder I have
a bat file with the same name, are there any circumstances when this bat
file will execute?

eg:
C:\db\CSS.mdw
C:\db\CSS.bat

Thanks.
Keith.

[Larry Linson]

What is in the BAT file? It is, after all, only text, so you can examine it
in notepad. But, in answer to your question, as far as I know, there's
nothing in Access that would execute a .BAT file. I'd guess it is more
likely the other way around...

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

"Keith Wilby" <ke*********@AwayWithYerCrap.com> wrote in message
news:Xn************************@10.15.188.42...

If I have an mdw file for a secure database, and in the same folder I have
a bat file with the same name, are there any circumstances when this bat
file will execute?

eg:
C:\db\CSS.mdw
C:\db\CSS.bat

Thanks.
Keith.

[Peter Miller]

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 20:23:21 GMT, "Larry Linson"
<bo*****@localhost.not> wrote in comp.databases.ms-access:

What is in the BAT file? It is, after all, only text, so you can examine it
in notepad.
and it is surprising that the OP asked about its purpose and usability
from Access without doing just this...
But, in answer to your question, as far as I know, there's
nothing in Access that would execute a .BAT file.
True. Access itself won't call the .bat file as part of its normal
startup or default operation. But some developers do use bat files
from Access. All it takes is a simple shell statement (for example)
to have a bat file perform some function. Again, the contents of the
bat file become critical here. But the point is that bat files can
(and sometimes are) indeed be executed at he request of an Access app
- it's just that it is the developer and not Microsoft who is causing
Access to do this.
I'd guess it is more likely the other way around...

I would too.

Peter Miller
__________________________________________________ __________
PK Solutions -- Data Recovery for Microsoft Access/Jet/SQL
Free quotes, Guaranteed lowest prices and best results
www.pksolutions.com 1.866.FILE.FIX 1.760.476.9051

[Keith Wilby]

Peter Miller <pm*****@pksolutions.com> wrote:

What is in the BAT file? It is, after all, only text, so you can
examine it in notepad.

and it is surprising that the OP asked about its purpose and usability
from Access without doing just this...

I didn't post it what's in it because I didn't consider it to be relevant.
All that's in it is a number of net send instructions. I noticed that,
poking around in a database I *used* to administer, every so often this
batch file would fire up, even though there's no reference to it in the
code. The guy that put it in place has been made redundant so I can't
exactly ask him.

[Peter Miller]

On 10 Dec 2003 08:12:19 GMT, Keith Wilby
<ke*********@AwayWithYerCrap.com> wrote in comp.databases.ms-access:

I didn't post it what's in it because I didn't consider it to be relevant.
All that's in it is a number of net send instructions. I noticed that,
poking around in a database I *used* to administer, every so often this
batch file would fire up, even though there's no reference to it in the
code. The guy that put it in place has been made redundant so I can't
exactly ask him.

Thanks for the follow-up.

From what you've said, the mdb calls the bat file, and not the other
way around. The file may be some sort of 'ET phone home' signal which
some developers use to document application usage/registration,
although that is more common with third party software than software
developed in house.

In any event, although you may not have seen any obvious code calls to
the bat file from the mdb, I'd wager strongly that that is in fact
where the trigger is. If you want to send over the mdb file, I'll
tell you definitively if and where the call is.

Regards,

Peter Miller
__________________________________________________ __________
PK Solutions -- Data Recovery for Microsoft Access/Jet/SQL
Free quotes, Guaranteed lowest prices and best results
www.pksolutions.com 1.866.FILE.FIX 1.760.476.9051

[Keith Wilby]

Peter Miller <pm*****@pksolutions.com> wrote:

In any event, although you may not have seen any obvious code calls to
the bat file from the mdb, I'd wager strongly that that is in fact
where the trigger is. If you want to send over the mdb file, I'll
tell you definitively if and where the call is.

Mystery solved. The bat file isn't called from anywhere, the originator put
it in place to execute manually when he wanted certain users to log off.
Trouble is, it's in a folder that anyone can access and it looks like
someone was executing it without knowing what it was.