Access 2003 databases keep corrupting

[M Skabialka]

I am using a new laptop (six months old) and am the first person to use
Access 2003 on it. I copied two databases from other machines to it and
created one from scratch. All of these databases keep crashing, but sending
the error message to MS doesn't result in a response from them. These
databases have no problems on other machines. e.g. I wanted to use a form
as the basis for another one, so used CTRL C CTRL V to copy it, giving it a
new name. The new form did not appear, but when I closed the database it
asked if I wanted to save it, and a module of the same name. I said no, and
tried again with the same result. I then imported all into a new blank
database, but other problems are happening; code suddenly won't compile,
etc. I have decompiled and recompiled multiple times, but it keeps
happening again.
Would uninstalling and reinstalling Access/Office fix the problems, or is
there something else I should look into?
WinXP with all updates, Office 2003 with all updates.

Thanks,
Mich

 

[Allen Browne]

Mich, this sounds very frustrating, and doesn't sound like it will be easy
to fix.

Given that the problem is machine-specific, reinstalling Office might be a
good idea. It could also be lots of other things.

What version of Windows? Are you logged in as a local computer administrator
or a limited user?

It might be worth running a clean-up on the hard disk (remove all temp files
etc), and then run chkdsk to make sure there are no cross-linked sectors.

Within Access, make sure you have the Name AutoCorrect boxes unchecked for
each database. The setting is under:
Tools | Options | General | Name AutoCorrect
Then compact the database.

If the other machines are using an earlier version of Access, a decompile
might also help. To decompile, enter something like this at the command
prompt while Access is not running. It is all one line, and include the
quotes:
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft office\office\msaccess.exe" /decompile
"c:\MyPath\MyDatabase.mdb"
Then compact again.

Also worth checking out your references in each database.
From the code window, choose References on the Tools menu.
Uncheck any references you do not need.
For a list of the ones you typically need in your version of Access, see:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-38.html

Beyond the O/S and Access itself, the problem could be caused by other
software. Temporarily disable anything else that could be interfering:
screen saver, anti-virus, email, utilities that are supposed to provide
security or crash detection, etc, etc. Does that make any difference?

Finally, it could be a hardware issue. For example, a flakey RAM module, or
overheating, or ...

Regarding the specific problem of copying a form in the database window and
pasting it back, there is actually a bug in Access related to this, though
it is quite rare IME. Before Access 2000, the MSysObjects table was the
canonical list of objects in the database. For whatever reason, MS
introduced the AllForms collection (and similar for other objects), so there
are now 2 sources of this information. Of course, this introduces the
possibility that something goes wrong, and the 2 sources don't agree. It
does happen. You will find the form you copied and pasted listed in
MSysObjects, but not listed in AllForms, which is a form of corruption.
Importing all the other objects into a new database is the workaround.

HTH.