Scenario: I'm using an Oracle database (8i) running WIN 2000 to practice with... I log on as Scott/Tiger or Sys/Manager and conn / as sysdba to do different exercises in my Element K Book. Connecting as "sysdba" why would I get insufficient priviledges when I try to use the alter command or shutdown the database? For instance, I got that error when I tried to alter the database to start the archive log mode. Also, got it a second time when I tried to shut down the database as mentioned earlier? What would be the best way to resolve this problem? Thanks in advance.