I came across an tough problem at work recently as we were upgrading and migrating our Act! installation to a new server. When I opened Act on the new server, I got the error: “Access to the path is denied.” This error box appears before you even have a chance to login, and when you click OK, Act closes. I was stuck on this problem for a while, but I finally came across some good information on another site that gave me a clue how to fix it. So here we go…
The Environment
- Central Act! database that is shared and hosted
- Act! Premium for Web on the server; workstations/clients running Act! Premium
- Upgrading from Act! v22 to v24
- Old OS: Server 2008 R2
- New OS: Server 2019
If you have any questions about the setup, feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly here.
Access Denied Error
Here’s what the error looks like. The error pops up when you would usually see the login box for your database:
Solution
Plain and simple: Right-click on the Act! shortcut and click Run As Administrator. After that, open it as usual.
Too easy, right?!
Attempted Explanation of Access Denied
I’m not 100% sure why or how this solution works. Maybe you can help me understand. I came across this article from Microsoft regarding their Microsoft Dynamics product, and it gave me the idea to run the program as administrator.
It looks like it could have something to do with User Account Control (UAC) preventing the program from doing some tasks that require administrative access. In the article above (remember the article is for Microsoft Dynamics, not Act!), here’s the reason they give:
“…This will start Integration Manager using the Administrator access token so the application will have sufficient rights to create the directory structure mentioned in the error message and write the default configuration file.”
Reference: Microsoft article
Whatever is happing (or not happening) in Act! with this error, it’s solved by running the program once as Administrator. After that, you’re good to go to open it as usual.
Tangential Stuff About Act!
At work, we’re running Windows Server 2019, which gave us some problems with the initial Act installation. Also, there was a round of updates, which may have led to this error. The last time I was logged into this system, before seeing this error, everything was working properly. The server was off for a couple of months as we were waiting on the upgrade project to be ready. When I started the VM back up, that’s when I encountered this problem (after Windows Updates too).
It’s possible Windows Updates changed something that caused or contributed to this problem. It also could have been the result of some of the installation problems. We used Server 2019 for another project, and I think we also had problems with permissions. It seems from my experience that Server 2019 handles things differently that Server 2008 R2 — most of our recent upgrades have been moving away from 2003 R2 & 2008 R2. That is not definitive…just an observation.
Final Thoughts
Over the years of working with the Act! CRM software at my job, I have learned a few quirks about how to run it from a centralized server (shared and hosted). If you have any questions or nagging problems of your own, I first recommend reaching out to Act’s Support online or by phone. I would start with a chat from their Support page here. Then, if they need to escalate it, they’ll let you know you can call their Support line. Their agents are very responsive and usually very helpful.
If you don’t have access to their Support, feel free to leave a comment below or message me directly, and I will do all I can to help you.
I have been doing this “Run As” Administrator and yes it has been happening since we updated to v24, but it was several versions behind, and once the database got locked and had to pay a third party DBA to get it unlocked, because the backups hadn’t been running for what ever reason.
I have not been able to find a good solution on help.act.com, at all.
I guess, in this case, glad to see someone else report the same issue with the same solution, but it is not a long lasting solution, and it affects random users, sometimes several at once across the network.
Hey Kim! Thanks for jumping in the comments!
Yeah, I’ve found that when it seems random, it usually has followed a Windows update… But not every update causes the problem. I think that’s what makes it feel random to me.
That’s too bad about the database lock issue. I’ve had pretty good experience with Act support through the chat option on their support page: https://www.act.com/contact-us
They’ll sometimes get me to call in and talk to someone if it’s beyond what chat support can help with. They’ll do remote screen shares and fix problems with the database like that. Maybe we have a different support level or something…? I’m not sure there.
Brad,
I am in the midst of a case with ACT! Support and asked for escalation, because the first level technicians’ answers were to always open ACT! as a local Administrator. They obviously don’t understand the security ramifications of everyone who runs ACT! on the Network having local Administrator rights, could cause; especially with all the ransomware and phishing going on in today’s Internet world.
All in all, they have no other solution, but the escalated technician did state that if there is/was a Windows update that affected Client User or local User UAC/profile, then this would be the end result of ACT! needed to be run as Administrator, at least once, to get past it.
I wish you the best of luck with your current Act! support case. I know how those can go
If I can be of any help, let me know. Or feel free to comment here if you come across anything interesting. Thanks!