So you decided to try change something in your Users in Pastel Partner and it came up with the above error. When you click Ok it closes Pastel and that is what happens every time you try this. OH NO!!!
NEVER FEAR THE SOLUTION IS HERE!
If you have a good look at the error it should tell you that File 7 is
(ACCUSER.DAT). This is the file that is corrupt. This is also the file in your
pastel company folder that stores all your user information. There are a couple of
ways that you can fix this and I will run through then from the easier to the more
complex options.
Backup, Backup, Backup
This is and must always be the first thing you do. Especially when it comes to Pastel. The more backups you have the merrier you will be when it goes wrong!
To do this…
Make sure everyone is out of Pastel
Log into the current company in Pastel
Click ’File’ the ‘Backup’
Under ‘Verify Method’ select ‘Ensure Files Readable’ and click ‘Process’.
Now click ‘OK’ to start testing the backup and then click ‘Close’ once done.
Also do a manual backup.
To do this…
Make sure everyone is out of Pastel
Open the folder where your Pastel company is stored on the server
Right-click on the company folder & click Copy. (Make sure you click Copy & not Cut)
Paste it somewhere on the machine and on an external drive/folder. (The more copies you have the better)
Make sure it finishes the copy before you do anything else.
Backups done!
Data Integrity
If the problem is not to serious then this will fix your error.
To do this…
Post all batches on the server and make sure all users are out of Pastel
Log into Pastel into the current Company
Click on ‘File’ then ‘Data Integrity’.
Click ‘Next’, select ‘Verify the Data Only’ and click ‘Process’.
Once it has completed its will close the window unless it has found errors.
If there are errors it will open a sheet listing these errors. Print this for your Pastel Support.
If you still get the error carry on below.
It is recommended to run a Data Integrity check on a daily basis since the power cuts will have some impact on the accuracy of Pastel.
Rebuild
Failing the above, the next thing to try is a manual rebuild of the accuser.dat file.
To do this…
Make sure everyone is out of Pastel and you have backups!
On your computer Go to Start>Programs>Sage Pastel>Rebuild Utility
Select your company folder location. Usually C:\Pastel12 on Server
Double click on your company folder
Scroll down and select Accuser.DAT from the list
Click Rebuild and wait for it to finishHopefully this will fix the error. If not keep scrolling down.
Before we go any further, I must warn you that everything is done at your own
risk! If you have access to a qualified Pastel Support team then use them. The
only reason I am posting this is that when I had the error the support guys
unfortunately couldn’t repair it, so I decided to give it a go and found these
solutions. We are about to start playing with the must have, very important files
in Pastel and this could break everything if you aren’t careful.
Proceed at your own risk!
Replace
The next step is to manually replace the accuser.dat file in your Pastel company folder. You can do this if you have a previous backup or an older company folder from prior year.
To do this…
Make sure everyone is out of Pastel and you have Backups.
Open your Pastel company folder and find the Accuser.dat file
Rename it to Accuser.dat.old
In your backup/other company copy the accuser.dat file
Paste it into your Pastel company file
Now try. It may give an error when trying to log into Pastel. If this is the case…
Go back into your company file and delete the Accuser.dat file you just pasted
Rename Accuser.dat.old back to Accuser.dat
Open Pastel and make sure you can log in
If you still can’t log in, restore one of the Backups I went on about 😉
Fix Pervasive
So we have tried almost everything and still no joy. This is the last step in my list and this worked for me eventually so I hope it works for you!
To do this next step we need to understand what has actually gone wrong. If you are anything like me you will have familiarized yourself with the Pervasive Database in PCC. If you haven’t this is going to take a bit longer.
To open PCC…
Go to Start>Programs>Pervasive>Control Centre & Documentation
Expand Pervasive PSQL>Engines>Server>Databases
Look for the database with the same name as your Pastel Company and expand it
Double click on the Table called AccountUser. This is the Accuser.dat file in the database. If you scroll through this table you will find a user in the list with empty rows. This is what is causing the problem. Now you can’t just go fill this with data as everything is encrypted. Make a not of the User ID that is blank.
This is what you do…
Open another Pastel company. (You can create
Note my problem was ID 32
a new company from an old backup and call it USERFIX)
Go to Setup>Users and look for the user ID that had blank lines in Pervasive
Set it up as a user with a simple password like 1234. (The password is the tricky part as this will be encrypted in PCC)
Open PCC and find your USERFIX Database
Open AccountUser and find the user you set up.
Copy everything along the column exactly as you see itSo that is one part done.
Now…
Make sure Pastel is closed and no one is logged in!
Open PCC and find your problem Company Database
Execute in grid
Open the AccountUser Table and find the problem user
Type in all the info you took down from the USERFIX Database for that user
Right click on the space at top with ‘select * from “AccountUser”‘
Click on Execute to Grid
Close PCC and test your Pastel now
This worked for me and should fix your problem. If it doesn’t keep going through the AccountUser table and see if there are any other users with blanks. If it still doesn’t work then I’m afraid i don’t have the solution yet and you may have to send the company to Pastel so they can rebuild it for you or if you don’t mind recapturing all the data you can restore and old backup
I hope this helps you and solves the problem. Again i warn you this is all done at your OWN risk! If you have Pastel Support, let them fix it.
