Error 7077: The Advantage Data Dictionary Cannot be Opened

You may see the above error when attempting to launch any Abacus program. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot.

The following steps require access to the server where the AbacusLaw database is installed. They also involve advanced usage and changes to your server configuration. If you are not comfortable making these changes (or do not have access to do so), please contact your IT or system administrator for assistance.

Index

• Clear All Abacus Connections
• Verify Security Permissions on the Server
• Verify Shortcut Mapping
• Verify that Only One Network Share to Abacus is in Use
• Missing Encryption DLLs

Clear All Abacus Connections

An error 7077 most frequently occurs when the data dictionary used by Abacus to connect to the database is locked. Follow the steps below to clear all current connections, so that the data dictionary can be freed, and the connection can be retried.

1. Make sure all users are out of everything Abacus (Law, Accounting, and MessageSlips), as well as Microsoft Outlook, if they have the Abacus Outlook Add-in installed.
2. Log into the desktop on your AbacusLaw server.
3. Open the Advantage Configuration Utility and click Stop Service.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. After the service has stopped, click Start Service to restart it.
5. Open Computer Management. Computer Management can be found within Administrative Tools if you are unable to find it by searching for it on the Start Menu.
   
   
   
   
6. Navigate to System Tools > Shared Folders > Open Files. Select all entries that start with your Abacus directory path (e.g., C:\Abacus…), right-click, and click Close file.
7. Re-try opening AbacusLaw, and the Abacus application that you were experiencing the error with.

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Verify Security Permissions on the Server

Abacus requires that the AbacusLaw share provides Read/Write access, and the Users group has Full Control over the Abacus directory on the server. Follow the steps below to verify that your security settings are set correctly in Windows.

Verify Network Share Permissions

1. Log into the desktop on your AbacusLaw server.
   
   
   
   
2. Open File Explorer. Navigate to the folder where Abacus is installed (e.g. C:\Abacus).
3. Right-click on the Abacus folder, and click Properties.
4. Open the Sharing tab. Click Advanced Sharing.
5. Click Permissions.
6. If there is not already an entry for Users or Everyone, click Add.
7. In the input area, type Everyone, then click OK.
   
   
   
   
8. Highlight the entry for Everyone (or Users).
9. Check Full Control, if it is not checked already.

Verify Folder Security

1. Right-click on the Abacus folder, and click Properties.
2. Open the Sharing tab. Click Edit.
3. If there is not already an entry for Users or Everyone, click Add.
4. In the input area, type Everyone, then click OK.
   
   
   
   
5. Highlight the entry for Everyone (or Users).
6. Check Full Control, if it is not checked already.

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Verify Shortcut Mapping

Follow the instructions in the following KB article to verify how your shortcuts are mapped, and that they are not mapped via IP address: How to Verify How Abacus is Mapped to the Server, and Fix IP Address Mapping

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Verify that Only One Network Share to Abacus is in Use

This issue can also occur when users are connecting to the same Abacus folder on the server via multiple network shares (e.g. one called Abacus, and one called Abacus2).

To verify this, open File Explorer in Windows and type the UNC path to the server (e.g. \\SERVER). you see more than one share pointing to the same Abacus directory, speak to your IT or system administrator for assistance in disconnecting the second share, and ensuring that the Abacus shortcuts used by all users are pointed using the same share.

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Missing Encryption DLLs

If your AbacusLaw database is encrypted, certain components necessary to read the encrypted database may be missing.

To check if your database is encrypted, open AbacusLaw, and navigate to File > Setup > System Options. View the Features tab. If there is a check mark next to Encryption, the database is encrypted.

1. Find the libeay32.dll and ssleay32.dll files in your Abacus\v23\Programs folder.
2. Copy these files to C:\Windows\SysWOW64.