Troubleshooting Data Access

The inability to access data is not always a result of connectivity errors. If a user is unable to access data, there are a few key areas to verify:

Proper network login Sometimes people use a shortcut or try to access data without being properly logged on to the network. You should verify that users are correctly logged on to the network and that any necessary network drives are connected.
Permissions When you are troubleshooting data access, ensure that the permissions are set correctly.
Connectivity You need to verify that the system that maintains the data is available. You need to confirm that the server is available. What can seem like a problem accessing a file can mask a potentially larger problem such as a disk or server failure.
Data integrity Sometimes data itself can be corrupt. This is the worst-case scenario, and the robust nature of today's file systems ensures that it occurs rarely. This is when you need backups.
Viruses In some cases, viruses might be your problem. You can use a virus-checking program to determine if indeed this is the problem.