Error Opening Database

[Ty Archer]

Can anyone help me with an error I am getting trying to open accesss database
"unrecognized database format". I try to compact and repair, and still get
the same error message.

Thanks very much

 

[John Slattery]

If your file is an Access database file of some kind and of a version
appropriate to your version of Access, you might go to Microsoft's site and
search on jetcomp. It's a utility for repairing and compacting that has
some tricks up its sleeve that those operations in Access don't have. I
number of times I have had success with it when Access left me with your
message. You probably should check out this page first though,
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q209137/, or one like it for your version.
(Here's the one for Access 97, Jet 3.5:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q279334/. The other is for Jet 4.)

 

[TC]

I don't see how you /could/ compact & repair it if Access is giving
that message. That message means that Access does not believe it is a
database file. In those circumstances, Access will not even open it,
let alone compact & repair it.

I think there's something you aren't telling us! What is the exact
sequence of steps that you are taking when you compact & repair that
database and do (or do not) get that message?

TC

 

[TC]

Oops, sorry, I completely misread what you said.

Your database is probably corrupt. *** Do not do anything more with it
***, until you take a copy first. Then, you can keep trying with the
original, but save the copy for later. Then, if you can't get it
working, and you have totally trashed the original, you can send the
copy to a data recovery service & see what they make of it.

HTH,
TC