Access 2007 lost database

[OldGuy]

I have lost my database on two occasions. The last time is said it could not
convert to and mdb and died on me. The second loss was from an .accdb which
I created by starting an enpty 2007 db then copying the tables, forms, and
modules from a 2003 mdb. And I still ended up having it die on me after
spending half a day entering data into the new database.

I am running under Vista Business.

 

[Allen Browne]

Not sure if "lost" means the file became unusable (corrupt), or whether it
actually disappeared (deleted, or moved where you could not find it.)

It is possible to configure Access so as to minimize the corruptions. Here's
a check list of things to work through:
Preventing Corruption
at:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-25.html

The work you put into developing a database is significant, so it's very
frustrating if you lose all that. In addition to the things in the article
above that reduce the frequency of corruption, I always back up the datbase
I'm working on every half day - when you pause for lunch, for dinner, and
again at the end of the evening if you are working late. That way you never
lose more than 4 hours work. I just close Access, and copy'n'paste the MDB
in the Windows Explorer, and rename it with a 2 digit suffix. For example,
MyFile.mdb becomes MyFile-01.mdb, and later MyFile-02.mdb. This gives you a
complete history of the file at various stages over the weeks you are
developing it. At the end of the day's development, the latest copies (i.e.
MyFile.mdb and MyFile-48.mdb of whatever is the latest) are also backed up
to a flash drive or network store.

I find this combination of astute configuration and backup history serves me
very well. When I lose something these days, it's usually human error (my
own fault.)

Hope that helps as you gain experience with Access.