Recurring database corruption

[PayeDoc]

Hello All

I really hope someone can help with this because it's driving me nuts - and
costing me many hours of lost time.

I am using A2K with W2K Professional. I have a complex FE/BE split mdb, and
am making regular changes to the FE - to the forms, reports, etc. Recently,
after some changes, even though I have recompiled, I am finding that, on
closing and reopening the mdb, it's become corrupt: I get a message that
'visual basic for applications has become corrupt ...'. I have so far been
unable to acertain exactly what changes make this happen - most changes
don't have this affect. Sometimes when this has happened, when trying to
re-open the corrupt mdb, I get a message that 'The microsoft jet database
engine could not find the object MSysDb. Make sure the object exists and
that you spell its name and path correctly'.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.
Leslie Isaacs

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

A good place to start looking is in the Corrupt Microsoft Access MDBs FAQ
that Tony Toews maintains at http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbs.htm

 

[Jeanette Cunningham]

Have a look here
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-25.html

and here
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbs.htm


Jeanette Cunningham MS Access MVP -- Melbourne Victoria Australia

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

One of the reasons that professional developers so quickly moved to Access
2002 (XP) was that it was very easy to corrupt a database. It isn't the
format of file that does the corrupting, It's a problem with Access 2000. If
you cannot move to a later version, I have 2 suggestions:

1. Make absolutely sure that all service packs and relevant hot-fixes have
been applied. That reduces the problem.

2. Backup constantly. I made it a habit to compile and backup every 15 to 20
minutes. I also decompiled/recompiled at every few days the compacted to
clear junk out.

http://www.mvps.org/access/bugs/bugs0008.htm

 

[PayeDoc]

Hello Douglas

Thanks for the link. I've started to read what's there, but there's
obviously a lot to get through so I'll save it for this evening.

Thanks again
Les

 

[PayeDoc]

Hello Jeanette

Thanks for the links. I've started to read what's there, and alos at the
other link Douglas gave, but there's obviously a lot to get through so I'll
save it for this evening.

Thanks again
Les

 

[PayeDoc]

Hello Arvin

Thanks for your reply. I had been contemplating moving to a later version of
access, and your comments reinforce this. I have looked at the info at
http://www.kellermansoftware.com/t-articleaccessversions.aspx
but wondered whether you might have any other, general thoughts on which
version to go to? Apart from the comparison of features (and to be honest I
don't even understand many of A2007's new features, so I guess it would be a
while before I was likely to benefit from them!), the three main issue for
me would be:

1. Is A2007 particulary more robust than A2002 or A2003?
2. Would there need to be a steep learning curve for me to continue
developing the mbd with A2007?
3. Is the upsizing likely to be particularly easier with A2002 or A2003 or
A2007?

If it's particulary relevant, the current A2K mdb has been upsized from it's
original A97 version, is split FE/BE, with 8 separate FE being used by 8
users on 8 PCs (this could become 10-12 within 2 years), and is pretty
complex!

Perhaps this question needs to be a new thread in another group?

Many thanks for any advice.
Les

 

[David W. Fenton]

One of the reasons that professional developers so quickly moved
to Access 2002 (XP) was that it was very easy to corrupt a
database. It isn't the format of file that does the corrupting,
It's a problem with Access 2000. If you cannot move to a later
version

I found that Access 2000 with SR1 or later and Jet 4 service pack 6
or later was just as stable and reliable as any later version of
Access. The problem was keeing systems from reverting to SR0 of
Access (the OS won't let Jet 4 revert to anything unstable).

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I am using A2K with W2K Professional. I have a complex FE/BE split mdb, and
am making regular changes to the FE - to the forms, reports, etc. Recently,
after some changes, even though I have recompiled, I am finding that, on
closing and reopening the mdb, it's become corrupt: I get a message that
'visual basic for applications has become corrupt ...'. I have so far been
unable to acertain exactly what changes make this happen - most changes
don't have this affect. Sometimes when this has happened, when trying to
re-open the corrupt mdb, I get a message that 'The microsoft jet database
engine could not find the object MSysDb. Make sure the object exists and
that you spell its name and path correctly'.

I would try importing all the objects into a new database and see if
that cleans things up.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/
Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

It is a different subject and a new question is in order. That said. Neither
Access 2002 or 2003 will present many problems either for your, or your
users. Access 2007 is a steep (almost vertical) learning curve for those who
already know earlier versions. There are some tools to help though, on the
Microsoft website.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.accessmvp.com
http://www.mvps.org/access

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

I found that Access 2000 with SR1 or later and Jet 4 service pack 6
or later was just as stable and reliable as any later version of
Access. The problem was keeing systems from reverting to SR0 of
Access (the OS won't let Jet 4 revert to anything unstable).

That was not the experience of any of the developers working for the
Solutions Provider that I was. Access was generally stabile in use, so the
clients didn't have a problem. It was development that caused all the grief.
We moved to Access (2002) during the Release Candidate, even before it was
released. Since we used the 2000 format, (and still do) the clients never
noticed.

 

[PayeDoc]

Hello Arvin

Thanks for this information.
As with many small businesses, we are under-resourced as far as IT is
concerned - there's just me keeping things going, and apart from a lack of
expertise I am also handicapped by having 'other duties'! I am therefore
doubtful about my ability to scale the "almost vertical" learning curve, and
will therefore probbaly go for 2003: unless I can find a local A2007 expert
who might be able to get me to a reasonable level in far less time that it
would take me using the MS website and other DIY resources (like this
forum!).

We'll see.
Thanks again
Les

 

[PayeDoc]

Hello David

Thanks for your reply.

How do I establish whether we have SR1 for A2k, and Jet 4 service pack 6?
Also, I don't really understand when you say "The problem was keeing systems
from reverting to SR0 of Access (the OS won't let Jet 4 revert to anything
unstable).". What does this mean?

Thanks again
Les

 

[PayeDoc]

Tony
OK - I'll try that.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Les

 

[Guest]

Hello All

I really hope someone can help with this because it's driving me nuts -
and
costing me many hours of lost time.

I am using A2K with W2K Professional. I have a complex FE/BE split mdb,
and
am making regular changes to the FE - to the forms, reports, etc.
Recently,
after some changes, even though I have recompiled, I am finding that, on
closing and reopening the mdb, it's become corrupt: I get a message that
'visual basic for applications has become corrupt ...'. I have so far been
unable to acertain exactly what changes make this happen - most changes
don't have this affect. Sometimes when this has happened, when trying to
re-open the corrupt mdb, I get a message that 'The microsoft jet database
engine could not find the object MSysDb. Make sure the object exists and
that you spell its name and path correctly'.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.
Leslie Isaacs

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

If you can wait a month, Office 2010 will be out. That version is much less
awkward to use than 2007, although still a radical departure from the menu
systems in use in earlier versions. In experienced users do not seem to have
much difficulty. It's those with computer skills that seem to have the
biggest trouble because they must unlearn what they already know.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.accessmvp.com
http://www.mvps.org/access

 

[David W. Fenton]

How do I establish whether we have SR1 for A2k, and Jet 4 service
pack 6?

You need to check the version numbers of MSACCESS.EXE and
MSJET40.DLL. The 4-digit build numbers for Jet begin with the
service pack number, so on this PC of mine, I have version 4.9, so
that's Jet 4 SP 9.

The Access version numbers are trickier, but if you check a system
with no service packs applied (i.e., the original release of Access
2000), and then compare the build number to SR1 and/or SR2, you
would have a start.

In environments where Access 2000 was in production use, I logged
the versions of these two files during logon, so it was always
really easy to spot machines that had reverted, since later logons
had lower version numbers.

Also, I don't really understand when you say "The problem was
keeing systems from reverting to SR0 of Access (the OS won't let
Jet 4 revert to anything unstable).". What does this mean?

SR0 means the release version of Access 2000, i.e., the version
before any service packs. The OS won't allow the Jet DLLs to revert
because Jet 4 is an OS component (starting with Windows 2000), and
thus protected by the OS, and updated by Windows Update. So, unless
you've never patched the OS and never run Windows Update, and never
installed a Jet 4 service pack, you'll have a safe version of the
Jet DLLs.

 

[David W. Fenton]

Access 2007 is a steep (almost vertical) learning curve for those
who already know earlier versions.

I think this is only relevant to developers and power users. Users
of my Access applications quickly adjust to the different appearance
in A2007, and as long as the screen real estate is sufficient (i.e.,
such that the extra space taken up by the ribbon doesn't impinge on
space needed by app UI components), and you do what's necessary to
get custom menus/toolbars working (I don't generally use either, so
haven't had an issue in the apps where I've had users running
A2007), the users quickly adapt and forget it was ever any
different.

It's only those users who actually use Access interactively (as
opposed to using the app I built) who encounter the problems that we
developers are so frustrated by.

In general, I do believe that MS had to do something about the
horrid disorganization of the user interface. The Task Pane was
always completely inadequate, but it surfaced some features that had
previously been harder to get to, and for many users was a win
(though all my users hate it and close it every time it pops up -- I
don't like it either, and hate it's non-modality for step-by-step
processes).

The ribbon re-organization manages to surface more useful features
than the old menu/toolbar structure, but it also makes it a lot
harder to get to the features that *aren't* right there on the
surface. For those of us with long-term experience with using the
Office UI at an advanced level, it's very, very frustrating. For end
users, not so much, in my experience.

Indeed, the only app most of my users complaing about the ribbon is
Word, as that's the only app where most of them ever use anything
approaching any advanced features.

Of course, different user populations will react differently, so
YMMV. But for most of my end users, the change has not been nearly
as disruptive as I'd feared.

 

[Tom Wickerath]

Hi Les,

How do I establish whether we have SR1 for A2k, and Jet 4 service pack 6?

Check out this link:

How to keep a Jet 4.0 database in top working condition
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=303528

In particular, follow the three links:

Verify that the latest operating system service pack is installed
Verify that the latest Microsoft Jet service pack is installed and
Verify that the latest service pack for your version of Office is
installed

Also recommended: Install the latest version of MDAC (Microsoft Data Access
Components
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...e3-c795-4b7d-b037-185d0506396c&DisplayLang=en


Tom Wickerath
Microsoft Access MVP
http://www.accessmvp.com/TWickerath/
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