Tony's Microsoft Access Blog

Here's a copy / paste of the email to my users I sent using outlook:

This link will create a shortcut to the WCP QC Database on your desktop which you can then use to access the database.

<\\Alpha\Company\Quality\Auto FE Updater\WCP QCast.cmd.lnk>

The UNC file name above becomes a clickable link in the body of the email -- with the security warnings you mention. I have Outlook set to compose and send in plain text; also, note the <> around the link. If I remember corectly, I picked that trick up from a question I posted in the ms.public.outlook.general newsgroup some time back, and it works in Outlook Express as well.

It took me some stumbling about before I caught on to what you meant by "• the Auto FE Updater can create the CMD file directly using the ShortCutCMDFileName options.   See The INI file - Miscellaneous for more details.   Then click on the place the CMD launcher line into the clipboard command button." ... when I clicked on the link and read the ShortCutCMDFileName description, I understood what I was missing and then it was off to the races.

QCast.cmd is the .cmd file created by Auto FE Updater, and QCast.cmd.lnk is the Windows Explorer created shortcut to that .cmd file with the general properties set to "Run Minimized" (that takes care of the "black cmd screen" you ention on your web site) -- both of which are in the folder with StartMDB.exe.