Unrecognized database format

[MNNovice]

I have been working on this DB for past several years. Sometimes while working from home, I e-mailed the updated version to and from work. Since last week, something went wrong. I couldn't open the DB at work, although it works fine on my laptop. I keep getting this error message: "Unrecogniz ed database format: 'U:\pathname\fi lename.accdb'

So I made a copy of the file on a flash drive from my laptop and tried to open it using my desktop. Still getting the same error message.

What is wrong? I spent more than 6 hours worth of works on it past weekend. Need to open the file and get going. Can someone please give me some direciton?

[jimatqsi]

Frequent backups are an absolute requirement when working with MS Access. I have learned that the hard way.

That being said, you're in the soup now so we should try to pull you out. You might be able to extract all the goodies out of it by creating a new database and importing the tables, forms etc.... There are also recovery programs available from a variety source. I believe when I last solved this problem I got by with a trial version of one of those tools, but I can't come up with the name now.

I'm sure some other experts will have additional guidance.

Jim

[jimatqsi]

I just reread your post and realize the file you are concerned with opens on your laptop. Are there other DB files involved? Is this a front-end/back-end setup? Is there a autoexec macro, form or function/sub being executed on startup?

Jim

[MNNovice]

1. I cannot even open the DB. Therefore, importing any forms or queries not possible.

2. Yes, I have a back up copy (my DB is backed up every day at the end of each day). I just don't feel like recreating 6 hours of work ...

3. Yes, a form is executed on startup.

4. What is puzzling is that when I worked on it at home, it worked just fine on my laptop. Eventhough the original was an e-mailed version (from work to myself). I just can't get the DB to open at work using the work desktop.

Thanks for taking the time to help me.

[jimatqsi]

You don't have to be able to open it, you open the new DB and try to import into. Sometimes that works, sometimes the import process cannot even recognize the DB. You might try changing the startup parameters on the laptop (hope you have already made another, safe, copy) so that no form is opened on startup. I'm not sure that will help with this error, it's been a long time since I ran into it.

Jim

[MNNovice]

Sorry, I am confused. How can I import ueries, forms and/or reports etc. without having to open the DB?

Yes, I have several safe copies with only a day old data.

[jimatqsi]

If the problem db is X and you create a new DB Y. You open Y. You click on External Data, Access, browse to file X and hopefully you will not get any complaint by Access about being able to read the content of X. It might be that you cannot do that successfully, but it is worth a shot.

Also, did you Compress and Repair file X on the laptop? That alone may fix your problem.

Jim

[twinnyfo]

MNNovice,

My initial thought is that it sounds like your work DB might be in MS Access 2007 and your home in 2010? Although MS "told" us that these two versions are "compatible ", they are definitely not--especially as it concerns the Tables themselves.

Jim, that is a smart workaround, and just might save the OP's work. Additionally, I echo his advice for frequent (or should I say, "constant") backups of your work. You can always get a bigger (or another) hard drive, but you can't get back lost work.

[jimatqsi]

Oh, right you are ...! I had that a month or so ago, a sometimes client called with this same problem with a DB I prepared for him. He sent me a copy and I noticed right away that it came up in Access 97 format. Of course he was like "who, what, me, no! I don't have '97 versions running anymore." But I know he must have, and he never called back, so I'm sure that was it.

Good catch, twinny.

Jim

[MNNovice]

twinnyfo & jimatqsi:

Thanks for your tips.

1. Yes, I have Access 2007 at work and 2010 at home. But this didn't cause any problem until a week ago.

2. Yes, I compress and repair each time I close out the DB no matter where I am. But this didn't resolved the matter.

3. Yes, I save a back up copy of the DB at the end of each day before heading home.

4. When I am at work and email a copy from work to my personal e-mail - I have no problem opening it. But when I e-mail the same copy from home I cannot open it at work the next day. I tried making a second copy on a flash drive, that didn't help either. I also don't have problem opening the DB from home that is mailed from work.

This is driving me crazy. I wish I knew more...

Thanks to both of you for your time.

[twinnyfo]

MNNovice,

You have described the problem to a "T". MS Access 2010 can open MS Access 2007 files. MS Access 2007 cannot open MS Access 2010 files.

As far as I know, there is no resolution for this issue. MS Access 2010, when it opens a 2007 file does "something" to the Tables which makes them unusable back in the 2007 environment.

[MNNovice]

Well, that's unfortunate. I don't know when (or if at all), we will get MS Office updated. Until then what do you suggest I should be doing? Hold back any changes to the forms, queries, reports etc.?

Thanks.

[twinnyfo]

I guess you just can't work from home anymore.....

Not sure if that isn't a good thing. :-)

[MNNovice]

Dang!!!

Well, I had the IT people help me open the updated DB. This is what they did. They opened the DB on a test machine with Office 2013 and saved the DB into a 2000-2003 version.

I was able to open it as well with the latest data. It seems there is one form that's not working. When I click on it, I get this error message: "Cannot save property; property is a schema property".

How can I fix this problem?

Thanks twinnyfo.

[zmbd]

You have described the problem to a "T". MS Access 2010 can open MS Access 2007 files. MS Access 2007 cannot open MS Access 2010 files.

Not absolutely true, occationally true; however, not absolute.

The most common issue is that ACC2010 uses a new indexing method and tracks field/table-name changes.

[File][Options][General][Creating Databases][New database sort order]
Make sure that this is set to {General - Legacy}
ACC2007 will not open the {General} format, and unless you have the correct regional-os, none of the other sorting formats can be opened in ACC2007 once set by ACC2010 (and even if ACC2007 sets the regional sort, ACC2010 can potentially mess that up on compact and repair}.

This property can accidentally be set to {General}. I have had it happen while we were transitioning between ACC2003/2010 (skipped OFF2007 due to bugs). Once done and saved, you will have issues.

In fact, there was one such database I uploaded here for a member and this option was set to {General} and they could not open the database using ACC2007, when I re-saved it using {General - Legacy} they could open the file.

-- The name change tracking can cause ACC2007 to choke once the file saved by ACC2010 and this new feature can also cause some "out of memory" issues.

[File][Options][Current Database][Name Auto Correct Options]
Uncheck these options.
(( Problem properties Databases: Name AutoCorrect allenbrowne.com ))

It is best practice to develop your front-end entirely in one version or the other. You will continue to corrupt the database so long as two different versions are working on the same file. This issue has been noted many times in this site and in most of the other sites that deal with Access.


MNNovice

I was able to open it as well with the latest data. It seems there is one form that's not working. When I click on it, I get this error message: "Cannot save property; property is a schema property".

Normally, one question per thread; however, as this is so closely related... the error it's due to the down conversion from ACC2010 to ACC2003 via ACC2013

Think of it this way:
You started in American-English, Switched to British-English which used something colloquial that when you tried to use with Am.Engl. didn't quite work, then to fix the issue you translated to Japanese to have it back translated into French so that you could convert it back into Am.Engl. - but there's an issue in that Am.Engl is gender nutral where as French has M/F forms.
That's what the schema property error is telling you... there's something there that it can't translate.