Microsoft Access 2007 converted from 2003 - split database compatibility issues with Windows 7
I have a small Access database that is used by a handful of people in my office. It was intially designed as a Access 2003 .mdb file, and all tables were stored locally w/in the mdb file. It was working fine, but I needed to upgrade because some users were moving to Windows 7 which seems to be incompatible with Access 2003 versions.
So I converted it to Access 2007 accdb, and while I was doing that I split the database. Now, the front end is an accdb file, and the backend database was split (automatically by the Access wizard) into an Access 2003 mdb backend.
For those of us using Windows XP - we don't have any problem with the Access 2007 front end/Access 2003 backend. However, WIndows 7 users are not able to use the database because the backend is Access 2003.
Can you tell me the best/safest way to upgrade the backend to Access 2007 and still have the front end link to the new version of the tables?
If I open the mdb backend and convert it to accdb, will I simply need to run a "linked table manager" from the front end to point the tables to the new accdb backend version?
Thanks for your help.
So I converted it to Access 2007 accdb, and while I was doing that I split the database. Now, the front end is an accdb file, and the backend database was split (automatically by the Access wizard) into an Access 2003 mdb backend.
For those of us using Windows XP - we don't have any problem with the Access 2007 front end/Access 2003 backend. However, WIndows 7 users are not able to use the database because the backend is Access 2003.
Can you tell me the best/safest way to upgrade the backend to Access 2007 and still have the front end link to the new version of the tables?
If I open the mdb backend and convert it to accdb, will I simply need to run a "linked table manager" from the front end to point the tables to the new accdb backend version?
Thanks for your help.
<If I open the mdb backend and convert it to accdb, will I simply need to run a "linked table manager" from the front end to point the tables to the new accdb backend version? >
yes this should work...
yes this should work...
capricorn1: I converted the .mdb backend to .accdb file. I also went into the .accdb front end and used the linked table manager to update all the linked tables to the new .accdb version. Works fine on WIndows XP. On WIndows 7 I am getting an error;
"...ILL_be.accdb is not a invalid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and you are connected to the server on which the file resides."
But these are valid paths because it opens fine on WIndows XP machines.
peter57r: I suspected compatibility issues because a month or so ago we also had another smaller .mdb file (although in this one the tables reside locally in the database and are not split out). Again, database worked fine for XP users but the first Windows 7 user could not get the .mdb to open. I did some searching which recommending upgrading to Access 2007 - I did that and it solved the problem. The only difference in this database is that the backend is split.
Thanks for your help.
"...ILL_be.accdb is not a invalid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and you are connected to the server on which the file resides."
But these are valid paths because it opens fine on WIndows XP machines.
peter57r: I suspected compatibility issues because a month or so ago we also had another smaller .mdb file (although in this one the tables reside locally in the database and are not split out). Again, database worked fine for XP users but the first Windows 7 user could not get the .mdb to open. I did some searching which recommending upgrading to Access 2007 - I did that and it solved the problem. The only difference in this database is that the backend is split.
Thanks for your help.
In windows 7 machine, navigate to the shared network drive.
do you get the same path configuration as displayed in the address box of the window explorer?
are you accessing the backend using mapped drive? or UNC?
do you get the same path configuration as displayed in the address box of the window explorer?
are you accessing the backend using mapped drive? or UNC?
No, they are different.
It seems when the front end is navigated through the shared drive it is a UNC, but when navigated through Window Explorer it is the mapped drive. Just found out if you open Access first and then use the File-->Open Database command that we could get it to open. The backend is accessing a mapped drive.
Is this the only way to get into the database? In Windows XP, users could either find it through My Computer, WIndows Explorer or a shortcut on the desktop. Is WIndows 7 different?
Thanks for your help.
It seems when the front end is navigated through the shared drive it is a UNC, but when navigated through Window Explorer it is the mapped drive. Just found out if you open Access first and then use the File-->Open Database command that we could get it to open. The backend is accessing a mapped drive.
Is this the only way to get into the database? In Windows XP, users could either find it through My Computer, WIndows Explorer or a shortcut on the desktop. Is WIndows 7 different?
Thanks for your help.
use the UNC path not the mapped drive.
in the frontend right click any linked table > Linked table manager
click on Select All
check the box for Always prompt for new location
click OK
in the Select New Location window,
select My Network Places
locate the backend and select
click OK
you should see the path to the backend something like this
\\serverName\folderName\db
in the frontend right click any linked table > Linked table manager
click on Select All
check the box for Always prompt for new location
click OK
in the Select New Location window,
select My Network Places
locate the backend and select
click OK
you should see the path to the backend something like this
\\serverName\folderName\db
Excellent - thanks! I'll give it a try. I assume this will work for both Windows XP and Windows 7 users? Both are using this database.
After checking with our network admin, I am actually unable to update the database to the UNC due to some internal issues.
When I went to update the location of the tables through "My Network Places" it was still displaying a UNC that our organization recently (last week or so) stopped supporting. I don't understand the details exactly (networking is not my area) but it had to do something with WINS no longer being supported and would require wiping clean the mapped drives and re-configuring with FQDN??? I'm sure I didn't express that correctly.
But anyway, your solution pointed us in the right direction and it seems to be a network issue (SID, mapped drives, UNC) rather than a problem with my database, the split tables or the conversion to Access 2007.
When I went to update the location of the tables through "My Network Places" it was still displaying a UNC that our organization recently (last week or so) stopped supporting. I don't understand the details exactly (networking is not my area) but it had to do something with WINS no longer being supported and would require wiping clean the mapped drives and re-configuring with FQDN??? I'm sure I didn't express that correctly.
But anyway, your solution pointed us in the right direction and it seems to be a network issue (SID, mapped drives, UNC) rather than a problem with my database, the split tables or the conversion to Access 2007.
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