help with linked tables

[davidoakley]

if i try to edit a field in a table im told that i can't because the table is linked. this database was not created by me, and all i want to know is where it is linked to. i've tried going to the linked table manager, but all the boxes are unchecked (possibly because this only updates links, as opposed to displaying current links, but i could be wrong). if someone could let me know how to find out what links exist between tables in this database or other databases that would be brilliant. i want this information so i can scrap unused databases and keep the ones which influence my useful databases.
cheers!
david.

[RuralGuy]

The Linked Table Manager shows you the current links of all of the linked tables. I'm confused by your post. How can we help you?

[davidoakley]

well thats odd, because none of the boxes are checked in the Linked Table Manager, yet when I look at the table in design view, there is a red section of text which says "This property cannot be modified in linked tables" and i receive a prompt when entering design view which says "Table 'blah blah' is a linked table with some properties that can't be modified. Do you want to open it anyway?" Yet the Linked Table Manager has no boxes checked. I want to find out what other table this table is mysteriously linked to.
i hope this clarifies my previous post, thanks for your help.
david

[RuralGuy]

The boxes in the Linked Table Manager are there so you can check the tables you want to change. Then you can check the box on the bottom "Always prompt for new location" and a dialog will open for you to locate a different BackEnd. In order to change a field in a table, you need to open the BackEnd directly rather than going through the FrontEnd of the application.

[davidoakley]

right. so how do i locate those backends? are they the ones listed under the "machine data source tab" in the "select data source" window which appears if the "always prompt for new location" box is checked? because finding the location of these backends is really the crux of this whole exercise.
thanks again.

[RuralGuy]

What is displayed in the window to the right of your linked table?
It probably starts with (C:\...

[davidoakley]

ahhhh so thats the file its linked to. the system im using is a little bit more complex than having it linked to a local directory, so it doesn't actually display something of the form C:\...... and thats why i didn't recognise it.
thanks a lot for you help, this narrows it down alot.
david oakley.

[davidoakley]

instead it says DSN=....... do you happen to know what DSN stands for?

[RuralGuy]

Here's a function you can put in a standard module and invoke from the immediate window:

Public Function ShowLinks()
   Dim I As Integer
   With CurrentDb
      For I = 0 To .TableDefs.COUNT - 1
         If Len(Trim(.TableDefs(I).Connect)) > 0 Then
            Debug.Print .TableDefs(I).SourceTableName
            Debug.Print .TableDefs(I).Connect
         End If
      Next
   End With
End Function

[RuralGuy]

instead it says DSN=....... do you happen to know what DSN stands for?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_Source_Name