ACT by Sage 2006 Family of Products:  Error: The database can’t be opened: Invalid user name and/or password." When Attempting to Convert Your Database to ACT! 2006

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Support Question:  Error: The database can’t be opened: Invalid user name and/or password." When Attempting to Convert Your Database to ACT! 2006

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You are attempting to convert a database that was created in a previous version of ACT! when you receive the following: Error: “The database can’t be opened: Invalid user name and/or password.” This may be followed by a second Error: “The maximum number of login attempts is exceeded. Conversion canceled.”

There is more than one possible cause for these errors. The errors may occur if you are not defined as an Administrator in the ACT! database that you are attempting to convert, if the ACT! 2006 software is not properly installed, if the database you are attempting to convert is damaged or as a result of software conflicts on your computer system. Follow the instructions in the appropriate section below to resolve the issue:

Corrupted Sharenui.dll File:
This issue can be caused by a corrupted Sharenui.dll file. In most cases this issue can be resolved by replacing the
Sharenui.dll file in the ACT! 2006 program folder. Please refer to the following Knowledge Base Answer:

Title: Error Message: “There is a problem opening the database. Possible causes may be an invalid user name and/or password, or a damaged database. See Help for more information.” When Converting a Database
Answer ID: 14065

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Issues:
Computers running the Windows XP operating system, that have SP2 (Service Pack 2) installed, may also experience this issue. The error has been documented in systems that are running an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) installation of Windows XP that may or may not have had SP2 installed when received from the manufacturer. In most cases, an undamaged ACT! database will convert on systems NOT running SP2. Therefore, the currently advised solution is to move the previous version database to another system (that is not running SP2), to convert the previous version database. For information on moving your previous version database, click the link below:
Title: How to Move a Database to Another System Using Backup and Restore
Answer ID: 11667

If the previous version of ACT! is not installed on the other system, you may download and install the trial version of ACT! 6.0 from the ACT! Support Downloads web page. ACT! 6.0 can restore a backup created in most previous versions of ACT!. Click the link below for information on acquiring the trial version of ACT! 6.0:

Title: How To Acquire the Trial Version of ACT! 6.0
Answer ID: 13192

Once the previous version database has been restored on the other (non-SP2) system, it can be converted to ACT! 2006. Once the database is converted, it can be moved to the original system by following the procedure described in the following Knowledge Base Answer:

> Title: How To Move an ACT! 2006 Database
Answer ID: 15315

Non-Administrator Conversion:
There are two possible ways to resolve this issue

Attempt the conversion again, and this time enter the Username and password of a database Administrator.

Return to your previous version database and change your defined user to Administrator before attempting the conversion again. .

If you are not certain what the Administrator login is for this database, refer to the following linked Knowledge Base document:

Title: Error Message: “Invalid User Name Entered,” “Invalid Password Entered,” or You Cannot Open a Database for Administrative Tasks
Answer ID: 10594

Damaged Installation of ACT! 2006:
You can test to whether damage in the ACT! 2006 installation is the cause of the issue by attempting to convert a new database from your previous version of ACT!. Click the link below for detailed information on creating a new database in ACT! 6.0/5.0/2000/4.0.

Title: How to Create a New Database
Answer ID: 11904

Once the new database has been created, attempt to convert this to the ACT! 2006 format:

If the new database converts without error, it is likely that your previous version database is damaged. Please skip ahead to the Converting a Damaged Database section below.

If you receive the same error when attempting to convert this new database, you will need to uninstall the ACT! 2006 software, and then reinstall in Windows Selective Startup mode.

Prior to uninstalling ACT! 2006, it is strongly recommended that you back up your e-mail database. Please refer to the following Knowledge Base Answer for detailed information on creating a backup of your e-mail database:

Title: How to Back Up and Restore Your ACT! 2006 E-mail Database
Answer ID: 15207

Refer to the following Knowledge Base Answers for detailed information on uninstalling and reinstalling ACT! 2006:

Title: How To Uninstall ACT! 2006
Answer ID: 15289

Title: How To Install ACT! 2006 for Windows
Answer ID: 15238

Converting a Damaged Database:
If you receive the error while attempting to convert under an administrative login, it is likely that your previous version database is damaged. If you are using ACT! versions 6.0/5.0/2000/4.0, you will need to repair the database before it can be converted correctly.

Refer to the Answers below for detailed information on repairing your ACT! database:

Title: I Suspect My Database is Damaged. How Do I Repair It?
Answer ID: 11462

Title: Using Import and Export to Repair your ACT! Database
Answer ID: 11718

Damaged User:
If the above solutions do not resolve your issue, your user record may be damaged. You will need to add a temporary user, delete the original user (reassigning the records to the temporary user), and then add the original user back before you delete the temporary user (reassigning the records back to the original user). Follow the steps below:

In your previous version database, click the File menu, point to Administration, and then click Define Users. The Define Users dialog box appears:

Click the Add User button to create a new user.

Type a User Name of Temp, leave the Password field blank, and then change the Security level to Administrator.

Click OK. The Assign My Records dialog box appears:

Click the Assign Now… button. The Enter “My Record Information” dialog box appears.

Click OK, and then click Yes to confirm that the My Record information is complete and correct. A Progress Indicator appears as the temporary user is added to the database.

Close, then reopen the database, logging in as the Temp user.

Click the File menu, point to Administration, and then click Define Users. The Define Users dialog box re-appears.

Select the original user, and then click the Delete User button. The Assign My Records dialog box re-appears:

Select the Temp user to Reassign the records, ensure that the Reassign to another user option is enabled, click OK,and then click Yes to confirm that you are sure you wish to delete that user.

Click OK at the Define Users dialog box. A progress indicator appears as the records are reassigned:

Click the File menu, point to Administration, and then click Define Users. The Define Users dialog reappears.

Click the Add User button and re-enter the original User name, assign a password if desired and change the Security Level to Administrator.

Click OK. The Assign My Records dialog box re-appears. Click the Assign Now… button. Fill in the Enter “My Record” Information completely and correctly, and then click OK.

Click Yes to confirm that the My Record information is complete and correct.

Close the database and then reopen it, this time logging in as the new (original) user.

Return to the Define Users dialog box and delete the Temp user, reassigning the records back to the original (new) user.

Exit the Define Users dialog box, close the (previous version) ACT! program and test.

Software Conflicts:
This error may result if software running in the background conflicts with the conversion process. Ensure that all other applications are closed before attempting the conversion.
If you are using Windows XP, you can boot to into Windows Selective Startup mode and attempt the conversion. For detailed information on restarting your computer in Windows Selective Startup mode, refer to the following document:

Title: How To Restart in Windows Selective Startup Mode
Answer ID: 14499

Note for Windows 2000 Users: Selective Startup is not available with Windows 2000. Simply restart Windows 2000 normally, be sure to close all background applications, including AntiVirus software, if possible. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and open the Task Manager. Click the Processes tab and End Process for all items EXCEPT those shown below (your system may not show all the listed items):
Note: Some processes may resist deletion. Do not be overly concerned if this occurs; simply end as many unnecessary processes as possible:

If the conversion is unsuccessful after eliminating all potential software conflicts, you can often work around this issue by converting your database on another computer. Follow the steps below:

Create a backup of your previous version database on a removable media such as a floppy disk or CD.

Restore your previous version database on a different computer. For detailed information on backing up and restoring your ACT! 6.0/5.0/2000/4.0 database refer to the following document:

Title: How to Back Up and Restore Your ACT! Database
Answer ID: 10847

Note: This computer must have either your previous version or ACT! 6.0 installed to restore the backup. In addition, ACT! 2006 must be installed to convert the database. If necessary, you can install the trial version of ACT! 6.0 and ACT! 2006 from the ACT! Support Downloads web site.

Move the converted database back to the original computer. Refer to the following document for detailed information on moving your ACT! 2006 database.

Title: How To Move an ACT! 2006 Database
Answer ID: 15315

Launch ACT! 2006 on the original computer and open the database.

For File Repair and Data Recovery, visit File Repair / Data Recovery