asked on

Access 97 on Win XP: What are the risks?

Hi,

I have MS Access 97 running on my XP machine. It seems working fine beside Access 97 lacks some great features that Access XP has. Are there any risks of keeping Access 97 on an XP machine and why is it better to upgrade it to Access XP?

Thanks,
Tam

peter57r

Hello babytam,

The only reason to upgrade (voluntarily) is if you want the features that are available in the later version.
There is definitely NO benefit if all you want to do is go on running your existing application.

There are one or two useful programming features in XP but I wouldn't describe it as full of great new things.

Most developers want to be using the latest version at all times, just cos it exists. This includes me.

Most corporate end-users don't have a choice about which version they use.

Pete

babytam

ASKER

What about compatibility and stability? Would the database be more stable over time if it upgraded to the latest version?

Tam

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

peter57r

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

SidFishes

"Online Help went downhill dramatically after A97"....that's a bit of an understatement...i'd say online help is virtually unusable in A2000...keyword searches in Access code help turn up Excel answers...i hate it i hate it i hate it...(umm...ok...i feel better now)

Something to consider...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;lifeOffice
Office 97 – Assisted support options on Office 97 ended January 16, 2004. Office 97 downloads for security issues will continue to be obtainable through normal assisted support channels at no charge during this time. Self-help online support will be available for at least one year after assisted support has concluded. Mainstream hotfix support for Office 97 ended on August 31, 2001, and extended hotfix support ended on February 28, 2002.

Note that all assisted support for Outlook 97 ended on December 31, 2001. Outlook 97 was succeeded by Outlook 98, which was provided free-of-charge to Outlook 97 customers and is supported under the same guidelines as Excel 97, Access 97, Word 97, and PowerPoint 97.

babytam

ASKER

I'm thinking of migrating the data into a SQL Server and have Access as a Front-End. Will Access 97 be compatible with SQL Server 2000 or later?

Tam

SidFishes

you can use dao to access server2k...but if you're going that route i'd suggest upgrading and taking full advantage of access adp's...

and as for the future server 2005 or whatever it will be...it wouldn't surprise me if A97 falls off the map...since support is already phased out...i can see ms leaving out backward compatibility to A97...