Error message

[Valerie]

I am working on building my database. Suddenly I'm
getting a VM error message "Error accesing file. Network
connection may have been lost." I have no idea what I've
done to cause this, nor how to fix it. I know next to
nothing about this program - am learning as I go. I have
been making backup copies as I go, so I'm covered...in a
sense. The last 2 or 3 backups give me the same message.
I have made a lot of changes between there and here, and
I'd hate to have to go all the way back through it again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cheryl Fischer]

Valerie,

Very likely your database has become corrupted. Try this on a copy of your
most recent database: Open Access but to not open a database. Select
Tools|Database Utilities, then "Compact and Repair Database". A window
will open which will allow you to navigate to and select the copy of the
database that you just created. When compact and repair completes, it will
have created a new database named db1.mdb (or db2.mdb if you already have a
db1.mdb). To see whether the compact and repair worked, try to open
db1.mdb.

If the database opens, the next thing to do is compile your code. (How to
compile: open any module by pressing CTRL-G. Then select Debug|Compile.)
Compiling will locate errors in code so that you can fix them. Continue to
compile your code and fix errors until the compile completes without error.

If you receive an error message during the compact and repair, then you may
need either to go back to your most recent un-corrupted database backup or
use the services of http://www.pksolutions.com/services.htm, a well-regarded
company in restoring corrupted databases.

A couple of simple things you can do to try to prevent corruption while you
are developing:

1. If you are developing in Access 97, work only on your own copy of the
database. Access 97 does allow you to make design changes while others are
using the database but it is absolutely not a good idea.

2. If you are doing a lot of code editing, save/compile frequently.

3. Backup frequently, as you have been doing, but make sure your backup is
of a compiled, error-free database.

Here is a link to Access MVP Tony Toews' website, where he provides valuable
information about the causes of corruption of Access databases:

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbcauses.htm

And, also, since you indicate you are a beginner and learning as you go, may
I suggest that you also visit MVP John Viescas' site and have a look at his
book recommendations.

http://www.viescas.com/Info/books.htm#Database Design.

hth,

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

I am working on building my database. Suddenly I'm
getting a VM error message "Error accesing file. Network
connection may have been lost." I have no idea what I've
done to cause this, nor how to fix it. I know next to
nothing about this program - am learning as I go. I have
been making backup copies as I go, so I'm covered...in a
sense. The last 2 or 3 backups give me the same message.
I have made a lot of changes between there and here, and
I'd hate to have to go all the way back through it again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This may be the result of a prticularly nasty bug in Access 2000. To
see if it is, carefully read this article from the Microsoft
KnowledgeBase:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];304548

If that's what has happend, Office 2000 SP3 fixes the bug, but that
won't repair your corrupted database. You'll have to resort to a
backup, or else try importing all objects to a new database -- some
objects probably won't import, and you'll have to recreate them from
scratch. When you do import the objects, unless you've applied the
service pack, it is *crucial* that you compile and save the project
before closing the database.