MS Access error, "Unrecognized database format," no resolution

[phightower]

Been through a ton of online searches, solutions, none have worked.

Worked on this same data file for years. Wednesday it works perfectly. Thursday, it simply won't open, instead with the error above. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has changed on my computer.

I can accept it somehow got corrupted, possibly with the last bits (custom forms) I was working on, but now nothing will even touch it, recognize it, repair it. Can't open file to use Compact & Repair; can't import to new db as it won't recognize the old file; downloaded a third-party tool that also won't recognize the file.

I have backups, none too very recent. Any hope here? Using Access 2013, latest Office suite.

[NeoPa]

Not a good situation to find yourself in I'm afraid P.

That you have old backups is good news. That you aren't backing up regularly and on a cycle determined by the importance of your data is very bad news. This was always going to happen. It was only a matter of when. An easily avoidable catastrophe. It seems the only good thing to come from this is that you're unlikely ever to get into such a situation again.

Please excuse my apparent lack of sympathy. I really don't lack the sympathy, I just get frustrated that such things still occur in spite of how many times this point is made.

I want to broadcast as widely as possible how important it is to avoid such situations occurring. Access is known to be prone to corruptions, especially, but not limited to, when any of the data is accessed across a network, which is very much the norm in today's world.

I can only suggest, for your current predicament, that you re-activate your latest reliable backup and then look at the possibility of recovering your file from a recent copy in your Windows Recycle Bin. The chances of success here are extremely low, but may be worth a try in the circumstances.

Good luck.

[phightower]

I can appreciate the reprimand; yes, ideally we'd all have perfect backup practices, eat balanced diets, no cavities and our oil changed every 3000 miles. However, back to the matter currently at hand.

No IT staff, just me. No network, just a PC. First time I've encountered an unrecoverable situation in years of working with Access. Been through all the recommendations found in other posts for this similar situation, just looking for a workaround.

The data is still in the file (can see it in a text editor) but something has changed to render the file "unrecognizable " by Access. Could it be a header issue, some formatting askew, something tagging/indexing the data file incorrectly? There must be a way to get through the error to the meat of the file (all I really want).

[phightower]

And probably more to my point, I don't want to just restore from the latest backup and have that one corrupted also, and on and on, until I understand what has happened and how to resolve it.

[Rabbit]

The problem is not even Microsoft understands what causes the corruption. Otherwise, they should have fixed it by now.

There is also no reliable way to resolve or prevent the issue. It's one of the drawbacks of relying on Access as the front end and back end. The only workaround is to schedule regular backups.

[NeoPa]

PHightower:
yes, ideally we'd all have perfect backup practices, eat balanced diets, no cavities and our oil changed every 3000 miles.

You're comparing this situation to 'A Perfect World', which is missing the point by a distance. Forget eating balanced diets, this is more akin to leaving your baby at home unattended while visiting the local pub. But let's face it - common sense is only really common sense after someone's fallen foul of not applying it. I very much doubt this had even gone across your radar prior to this issue so I feel no need to judge. I simply want to do and say whatever I can to reduce the likelihood of it happening again for anyone who reads this.

I repeat that I bear you no lack of sympathy. It's pouring out in fact. I simply know, from much experience with others asking similar questions, that sympathy doesn't recover your data for you. That's just how it is. I don't like it.

I do know that there are tools out there developed for such scenarios. Some actually work on some occasions. However, what I remember most of such conversations is the frustrations of people being unable to recover their data in spite of trying various approaches. How much of a percentage that might be I can't really say. I do know that I have a database of helpful tips and I don't have an entry in there for any recovery software. My database goes back over ten years this coming October.

As I say, I wish you the best of luck.

[phightower]

I don't need a lecture. If this were mission critical, or had any sort of financial payout, sure, I'd be more rigorous in backup protocols. As it is, this is a meaningless side project and I'm just trying to avoid pulling log files and a lot of repetitive data entry.

If you can't help, that's fine. No need to hammer home best practices with me. I'm just fishing for advice from those who have more experience with this program than I do, and hoping someone can actually add some enlightenment to this issue (which seems not uncommon).

[phightower]

The reason I bring this up as a separate thread -- and the most significant part to this issue -- is the lack of variables to even analyze.

Literally, honestly, nothing changed. The database performs well on the same machine, month after month, no issues. Closed properly at the end of one workday, when it is opened the next morning it has spontaneously corrupted so badly it cannot be repaired, saved or even accessed. Nothing changed on either the computer or the program.

I know Access isn't great but I've never known software to randomly fail without reason. Any insight, even guesses, would be appreciated.

[Rabbit]

Literally, honestly, nothing changed.

I'm not sure if you realize this but the mere act of opening the database changes the file. The size won't necessarily change but just by opening the file, bytes within the file have changed. You can confirm this by comparing copies of the file in a hex editor where the only difference is you opened one of them.

I know Access isn't great but I've never known software to randomly fail without reason.

So obviously there is a reason. There's a reason for every failure. But this is a well known issue with Access. One that has plagued access for years and one that has not been solved reliably to this date.

[phightower]

I'm not sure if you realize this but the mere act of opening the database changes the file. The size won't necessarily change but just by opening the file, bytes within the file have changed. You can confirm this by comparing copies of the file in a hex editor where the only difference is you opened one of them.

I was referring more to the software itself and the computer on which it's installed instead of the actual data file. Reasons for failure in similar threads usually point to differing versions, patches, malware, service packs or incompatibiliti es (none of which apply here).

Just trying to wrap my head around the issue.

[NeoPa]

PHightower:
Reasons for failure in similar threads usually point to differing versions, patches, malware, service packs or incompatibiliti es (none of which apply here).

That isn't my experience. This is something that happens from time to time when using all versions of Access that I'm aware of. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that differences in software versions or patches are a very minor part of the puzzle. They can occur, but are rarely the issue. When you have a known problem with Access generally, it doesn't make much sense to look elsewhere for the cause of your problem. Clearly there are things you don't want to hear. I'm sorry about that, but it doesn't make them any less true.

PHightower:
I don't need a lecture.

The only one who interprets this as a lecture is yourself. I'm using this as a vehicle to try to ensure people don't make the same mistake. I hope you appreciate you aren't the only one who reads this. If I could offer advice that would help your situation directly I'd do so in a flash. I can't do that, but I can hopefully draw attention to all the readers of this thread that regular backups are a critical feature of any Access solution.

I appreciate that when they're not critical applications then this is less important. Your situation is for you to worry about. I'm not here to criticise you - just to get the message out.