Converting Data Type in a table?

[Guest]

Access 2002/2003. I have inherited an old Access 2000 database where one of
the fields in the table had a Number data type with TEXT in it. I noticed
the wrong data type and I change it to text. All appeared OK until I
attached a combo box to this field. When clicking in or opening the combo
box in any row in this table with the old text, I get an error message: "The
value you entered isn't valid for this field. For example, you may have
entered text in a numeric field or a number that is larger than the FieldSize
setting permits." This field has about 3,000 records in it, and it appears
to be corrupted and a permanent numeric field, I have tried everything to fix
it: Compact and Repair; Import, append, and update this field into another
table/field and I cannot get rid of the error message. How do I get that
Number field finally and completely converted into a TEXT field? Anyone got
any ideas? Thank-You!

 

[Guest]

Have you tried to add a new text field? Copy the table so as not to loose
anything.
Run an update query from old field to new text field? Delete old field and
rename new field with the old field name.

 

[Guest]

Karl, thanks for thinking of me. Yes, I did that and much, much more. I
even exported this field into Excel and a *.txt table and converted
everything to text, so I thought. When I imported the field back into a
brand new database with a brand new table in Access, nothing changed! I
still get the error message. I have never seen anything like this!!

 

[Guest]

The thought cross my mine that maybe it was hexidecimal but I got nowhere in
trying to duplicate/ show hex numbers.