Error : "can't create system.mdw" ???

[Robert Lacoste]

Dear Access gurus,

I was using since years Access 97, now under XP SP2, without any problem.
However I've just reformatted my HD (viruses...), reinstalled XP SP2, and
then I am no longer able to install Access 97 :

When executing the install, I got successively two error messages (sorry,
it's probable not exactly the same text than in the english version of
access as I've just translated what my french access says) :

- "Error while changing workgroup"
- "Impossible to create SYSTEM.MDW (-1011)"

Then when trying to launch access I get of course an error like "missing
c:\windows\system32\system.mdw". I tried to copy system.mdw from another PC
but then access crashes with an "out of memory" error !

What's happening ? Any help welcome...

PS : As an urgent workaround, is there any open source database front-end
that that "read" acces DB and forms ?

Many thanks,
Robert

 

[Guest]

Hi Robert,
Just 2 points that may be causing the problem.
1 - Are you logged on as Administrator when performing the install??
2 - Does your computer have 1 gigabyte (GB) or more of random access memory
(RAM). ? If it does and you have the MS Jet Database Engine Version less
than 3.51 then you ned to upgrade to to that version.
If none of that helps I would suggest starting again. But Install Access
before you install XP sp2.

 

[Robert Lacoste]

1/ Yes, I am administrator
2/ Yes, I do have 1,2GB of RAM ! I hope this is the problem, I will try
simply to install it with some RAM removed...
I hope this will clear the problem, as I don't find your last proposal very
funny (to uninstall SP2...).
Friendly, and thanks for your help,
Robert

 

[Robert Lacoste]

PROBLEM SOLVED !!! Many thanks Geoff for the wonderfull tip regarding the
RAM bug ! Effectively the issue came from the "more than 1GB of RAM" error
existing in the older versions of Access. In fact this bug seems to have two
consequences :
- When you try to install Access 97 from original CD on a PC with more than
1GB of ram (XP SP2), the install fails ("can't create system.mdb")
- If you try to manually copy the system.mdb file from another PC then the
launch of access fails, still when having more than 1GB of RAM ("out of
memory" error).

As this can be useful to other, here is what I've done :

- Starting with a PC under XP SP2
- REMORE RAM from the computer, to go under 1GB (I've went down to 256MB to
be sure..)
- Install access 97 (no longer problem during the installation, but
execution still fails)
- REINSTALL RAM
- Download the MS Jet Database engine version 3.51 SP3 from microsoft.com
- Then Access is working again !

Many thanks again, without this newsgroup and without Geoff I am 99,99% sure
that I would still be locked with that issue, the Internet support is
greaaaaat !

Friendly yours,
Robert

 

[Guest]

My pleasure Robert. Glad to have been of some help.