Can an Access database expire?

[vvenk]

Hello:

When I tried to open an Access database, an error window came up that sad
"Database expired" and it closed access down when I clicked on OK.

Can somebody shed light on this and how I can reincarnate it?

Thanks.

venki

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

Can somebody shed light on this and how I can reincarnate it?

Access databases don't expire unless they've been customized to do so.
Usually this is because the file is just a demo, and you just need to return
to the developer to get the full-featured version that doesn't expire.

 

[vvenk]

That's what I thought too.

And you were right. I changed the system clock and I was able to get into
the database. I saw that the application is to open a form that had code to
check the date.

Thanks.

 

[Granny Spitz via AccessMonster.com]

I changed the system clock and I was able to get into
the database. I saw that the application is to open a form that had code to
check the date.

Oh, my! I don't know if I'd be more insulted or frightened in your situation.
Insulted that the developer thought I wasn't smart enough to set the system
clock back or delete his expiration code, or frightened that the developer
would use an expiration method so easily thwarted (people *always* set the
system clock back when it expires) and didn't have the presence of mind to
hide his code in an MDE file.

Ordinarily, once a demo expires, it *stays* expired, no matter what the user
does. And the expiration criteria should be independent of the system clock,
since it's so easily altered. Otherwise, customers have little incentive to
purchase the non-expiration version, don't they?