Error 3734 "The database has been placed in a state by User..."

[Mike Huckaba]

We are receiving this error message when trying to access
our Access 2000 database file:

"The database has been placed in a state by user 'ADMIN'
on machine 'HASTINGS' that prevents it from being opened
or locked."

Microsoft's knowledge base files are useless on this
subject. Anyone out there know how to regain access to the
database file?

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

I usually find that this occurs when the database:
1) has not been shutdown or closed properly (i.e. the computer name 'Hastings' lost network connections and exited the program without reestablishing a connection) OR
2) the compact/repair database utility did not complete properly

Caution!!! Read all steps to fix prior to deleting anything!!
I have been able to fix this by going to the machine where the tables are located and simply delete the database.ldb file that is generated when someone opens the database. Important Note!! ONLY delete the .ldb file NOT the .mdb file as the .mdb is the actual data. An .ldb file is a hidden system file that Access generates to keep track of locks on records being edited by users in the database. You may need to change explorer settings on the machine to view hidden files and folders in order to locate the .ldb. Hope this helps.

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the info! I tried to delete the .ldb file but
was unsuccessful. It says that I can't delete the file
because it is either "locked or in use". Is there a way to
get around this?

-----Original Message-----
I usually find that this occurs when the database:
1) has not been shutdown or closed properly (i.e. the

computer name 'Hastings' lost network connections and
exited the program without reestablishing a connection) OR

2) the compact/repair database utility did not complete properly

Caution!!! Read all steps to fix prior to deleting anything!!
I have been able to fix this by going to the machine

where the tables are located and simply delete the
database.ldb file that is generated when someone opens the
database. Important Note!! ONLY delete the .ldb file NOT
the .mdb file as the .mdb is the actual data. An .ldb file
is a hidden system file that Access generates to keep
track of locks on records being edited by users in the
database. You may need to change explorer settings on the
machine to view hidden files and folders in order to
locate the .ldb. Hope this helps.

 

[Guest]

Is the machine named 'Hastings' a shared XP box with different users that logon to it
If so, you may need to logon as each user that uses that machine and make sure that someone doesn't indeed have the database open. Or simply reboot the 'Hastings' machine to free up the .ldb
Let me know what kind of OS the troublesome machine is running.

 

[Guest]

The problem PC is a Win98 box. The database file is stored
on a network drive. Sounds like I'll need to get everyone
in the network off the system to be able to work with the
file.

-----Original Message-----
Is the machine named 'Hastings' a shared XP box with

different users that logon to it?

If so, you may need to logon as each user that uses that

machine and make sure that someone doesn't indeed have the
database open. Or simply reboot the 'Hastings' machine to
free up the .ldb.

 

[John Vinson]

Thanks for the info! I tried to delete the .ldb file but
was unsuccessful. It says that I can't delete the file
because it is either "locked or in use". Is there a way to
get around this?

Reboot the computer where the .ldb file exists (or at any rate go into
program manager and stop all msaccess processes).

 

[Tony Toews]

I have been able to fix this by going to the machine where the tables are located and simply delete the database.ldb file that is generated when someone opens the database. Important Note!! ONLY delete the .ldb file NOT the .mdb file as the .mdb is the actual data. An .ldb file is a hidden system file that Access generates to keep track of locks on records being edited by users in the database. You may need to change explorer settings on the machine to view hidden files and folders in order to locate the .ldb. Hope this helps.

The .ldb file isn't marked as hidden or as a system file. However the
default in Windows Explorer is to not display the extensions so it's
only the description or the size, if you have detailed view on, that
tells you what the file is.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
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