Paul,
If you use VB as a front end to your database, the end user does need Access
at all. All is needed is an appropriate MDAC having needed db engine. On the
other hand, if you want to open a database from within Access, then you may
try to create object of type "Access.Application.X", where X corresponds to
your required version of access, 8 for 97, 9 for 2000, 10 for 2002. If you
can create it then fine, the user has the Access; if not, trap the error and
show a msgbox asking the user to install it. You may omit the .X in
CreateObject call, but then you would need to check the version number of
Access.Application making sure it can handle your database.
HTH
