>What is the error that AERROR() returns? Did you compare the connection string to the ODBC configuration?

laErr[1] = 1526
laErr[2] = Connectivity error: I/O error for file "C17_33761"
Error while trying to open file
The system cannot find the file specified.
laErr[3] = as above
laErr[4] = 08004
laErr[5] = 0
laErr[6] = 1
laErr[7] = null

C17_33761 is the alias as setup in the aliases.conf for FireBird on the server machine.

Further research reveals that FireBird can refuse a connection if it has the belief that it will corrupt the database. The long Windows filepathnames may have played a part in this for me. Still researching but I think what was happening was that ODBC was somehow hiding the long pathnames complexity from FireBird, connection strings was not and thus the lock down.