Is there a way to have both installed on the same pc? I need 2k for work
and 2003 for school work. Is there a way to install both. I was wondering
if just installing them on a different drive would do it. I have 2k
installed already and will be adding 2003. I also have a SQL server
running will any of this affect it.
They will both cohabitate on the same machine just fine, as long as you do
two things:
1. Install in version order.
2. Install in different directories.
The most important tip is to make sure you install the two versions of
Access in the order of their version number. If you install Access 2K3 and
then install Access 2000, you deserve all the suffering you get. Install 2K
first, then 2K3. Take a guess how I know
I have Access 97, Access 2000, Office XP, Visual Studio 6 and Visual
Studio.NET all on the same machine and everything is happy happy.
SQL Server doesn't care at all. Access & SQL Server are totally unaware of
each other unless you do something on purpose.
In fact, the only commonality between Access and SQL Server is Microsoft
Data Access Components, and in all of those setup programs, the MDAC.EXE
that they run is smart enough not to screw up previous or future versions.
The only real issue I forsee is file associations. The Windows Registry
associates the .mdb file extension with the last thing that registered it.
So if you install Access 2K, and then 2K3, then when you double click on any
mdb, Access 2K3 will open it. One work around is to open databases with
File -> Open, not double-clicking them.
Another hardcore workaround is to make some registry modifications. Add a
..mdb2000 file extension to HKCR and bind it to Access 2000, then add a
..mdb2003 file extension and bind it to Access 2003. Then you name your
database filenames appropriately and you can double-click them to open them
in the correct version of Access. NOTE: There is a reason why every single
MSKB article outlining registry tricks also includes a STIFF warning.
--
Peace & happy computing,
Mike Labosh, MCSD
Feed the children!
Save the whales!
Free the mallocs!
