SharedDataPath in INI file keeps changing

Question: The QuickLaw.ini file has a SharedDataFile path equal to "C:\Quicklaw". My data is on my Q: drive. So  I change the INI file entry to "Q:\QLData" and save the INI file.  I then attempt to open QL. I get the message that QuickLaw can’t find the file again.  When I go back to QuickLaw.ini it again says c:\QuickLaw.  When I change it to Q: again and save, try QuickLaw, it puts it back again. What gives?

Answer: Your network connection is down or at least the connection to the Q: drive is defined incorrectly.

When QuickLaw comes up it checks the INI file and tries to open the Data files, particularly QLData.mdb. If it can’t open the files it automatically resets the INI file to the C: drive and tries again. If that fails then it gives up and gives the error "Can't find data files". What you end up with is an INI file pointing to your C:\QuickLaw folder, which in your case is the wrong location. That’s “sort of” a bug that was put in deliberately to make it simple for single-user people to get up and running quickly.

Try this: On any of those computers use Windows Explorer to see if you the Q: drive is actually available. If you can double-click on that drive letter and browse the files and folders AND FIND QLDATA.MDB then Q: is okay. If you get an error, or the Q: drive doesn’t show, or you can’t find QLData.MDB on the Q: drive then you have found the source of the QuickLaw problem (although the actual networking problem may be more difficult to track down).