dialog database engine failure

[ketch]

We have two users who use various documents to do mail merges. When they
open multiple documents to spped up their work and try to click on "mail
merge receipients" to change the name to the person who the documents
pertains to they get "operation could not be completed because of dialog or
database engine failure error message. When they open the documets
indiviually then seem to open without error? These are documets that they've
been using for at least a year without any issue. The database is stored
locally on their machines and the actual documents are stored on the server.
When they complete the document they print it but don't save the documents
with the updated information so the document doesn't change. They use word
2002 sp3 running on XP sp2.
I've tried to update the MDAC but when I try to run version 2.8 (most
current) it says it isn't comatible with my operating system and that windows
has it already and all I can do is cancel out. I also tried to register Jet
4.0 OLE DB provider which was successful but didn't seem to help.
I'm quite puzzled why I can't open multiple documents anymore when I use to
be able to but can open them one at a time. Any help would be greatly
appriciated.
Thanks

Andrew

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Are you talking about multiple documents being opened and each one of them
attached to the same datasource?

It may be an issue with the way that the connection is being made to the
data source. From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the item "Confirm conversions at
open." Then when you attach the data source to the mailmerge main document,
you will be presented with a dialog in which you can select the method by
which the attachment should be made. Try each of the different connection
methods with which you are presented and see if one of the other of them
overcomes the problem.

Aside from that, the mail merge main documents should be created as
templates from which the users create new documents by selecting New from
the File menu and then selecting the template. In that way, there is no
possibility of them overwriting what is now your original document.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[ketch]

Thanks for the reply Doug. To answer your first question is yes they are
multiple documents attaching to the same datasource. I will try your
suggestions and let you know the outcome.

 

[ketch]

OK I tried youe suggestion and it still doesn't work. Just to pinpoin where
exactly the problem happens is the data source is located in My data source
located on the local C drive. If I open more then 1 document and press the
mail merge recipient the correct box comes up, its when I press "edit" that
this occurs. If I just open one no proble. The data source seems fine I
even had a backup stored on the server that I tried. I don't think it's the
datasouce or the files as individually they open fine its when I try more
then 1 at a time which use to work a few days ago. I did have a MS critical
update but I don't think that would cause my issue but at this point who
knows.

Thanks again Doug

 

[ketch]

Any takers on this unique situation? My user is starting to nip at me

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?a2V0Y2g=?=,

Any takers on this unique situation? My user is starting to nip at me

The only other thing I can suggest is to open a Support Incident with
Microsoft support.

If you're open to more extreme measures, you could try creating a new
Windows profile for this user. If that doesn't help, try reformatting the
disk and reinstalling the machine from scratch.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[ketch]

Thanks for the direction Cindy. I think the extreme measure is a bit to
extreme and will send this to MS support to see what they say.

Cheers!