Access Databases screwing up, corrupting

C

cb

Several of our databases have turned themselves into crap. Can not tell you
when it happens, but when you go to open there is an "unrecognizable
database format" error. Then the application just shuts down. When this
happens you cannot even open the file long enough to perform a compact and
repair.

In one instance, access did try to back up. While the table structures were
intact, all the queries were messed. Mainly the criteria was missing, along
with some of the relationships.


Have you all experienced anything like this, or have you heard of it. It
has occurred on 3 independent databases thus far, and different users. The
databases also range is size.

Can anyone point me in a direction to help prevent these databases from
corrupting, or help us understand how to some possible steps for recovering
the corrupted databases?

Thanks in Advance,


CB
 
J

Jerry Whittle

Tony Toews has an excellent web page on database corruption.
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbs.htm

Allen Brown also has excellent info on corruption.
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html

I have a white paper in a Word document named Fix Corrupt Access Database
towards the bottom this page:
http://www.rogersaccesslibrary.com/OtherLibraries.asp

Are these databases on a network drive? If so I suspect a network problem
like a bad switch, router, or even a network card (NIC) that can be on a
computer not even using the databases! I suggest that your network people run
a sniffer to look for bad packets and other problems. Access would be a good
network stress testing tool as if there is a weakness, Access seems to find
it.
 
T

Tony Toews

cb said:
Several of our databases have turned themselves into crap. Can not tell you
when it happens, but when you go to open there is an "unrecognizable
database format" error. Then the application just shuts down. When this
happens you cannot even open the file long enough to perform a compact and
repair.

In one instance, access did try to back up. While the table structures were
intact, all the queries were messed. Mainly the criteria was missing, along
with some of the relationships.

When you mention tables and queries in the same MDB this implies the
databases aren't split. Sharing MDBs is an excellent way of
corrupting them.

You want to split the MDB into a front end containing the queries,
forms, reports, macros and modules with just the tables and
relationships. The FE is copied to each network users computer. The
FE MDB is linked to the tables in the back end MDB which resides on a
server. You make updates to the FE MDB and distribute them to the
users, likely as an MDE.

See the "Splitting your app into a front end and back end Tips" page
at http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/splitapp/ for more info. See the
Auto FE Updater downloads page
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/autofe.htm to make this relatively
painless.. The utility also supports Terminal Server/Citrix quite
nicely.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
 

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