Installing Access 97 on Vista

[Chris Barnes]

A google search of this topic showed some discussions of this exact
problem, but nothing about how to actually solve the problem.

I have a user who needs to run Access97 on their brand new Vista
computer (Enterprise - but I don't think that matters). At the end of
the installation (setup.exe run as Administrator), I get an error that says
"an error occurred at changing the workgroup database
SETUP couldn't create a system.mdw file. Reboot your computer and
run Workgroup Administrator before you run the application"

So I did that (as Administrator).

Nada.

Copied a System.mdw file from another machine and put it in a directory
called "C:\Apps\Office97Extras\" and pointed to it using Workgroup Admin.

Still nada.



I am officially out of ideas. Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?


(I looked for an Access newsgroup to post this to, but none of them
seemed appropriate for this question)

 

[Paul Montgomery]

A google search of this topic showed some discussions of this exact
problem, but nothing about how to actually solve the problem.
http://accessblog.net/2007/06/access-97-on-vista.html


I have a user who needs to run Access97 on their brand new Vista
computer (Enterprise - but I don't think that matters). At the end of
the installation (setup.exe run as Administrator), I get an error that says
"an error occurred at changing the workgroup database
SETUP couldn't create a system.mdw file. Reboot your computer and
run Workgroup Administrator before you run the application"

So I did that (as Administrator).

Nada.

Copied a System.mdw file from another machine and put it in a directory
called "C:\Apps\Office97Extras\" and pointed to it using Workgroup Admin.

Still nada.



I am officially out of ideas. Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?


(I looked for an Access newsgroup to post this to, but none of them
seemed appropriate for this question)

 

[DL]

Try cross post to an Access group

 

[Paul Montgomery]

Try cross post to an Access group

Reading is a skill, DL (Dim Lamp?):

 

[DDW]

Try cross post to an Access group

The OP looked for an appropriate Access group already and didn't find
one.

DDW

 

[Beoweolf]

Did you check to see if Access 97 is compatible with Vista? The fact that it
shows an error related to \system files could be a hint that it may be time
to update your application to something slightly more current. Access 97,
obviously, is several iterations below Access 2007, in software years - that
is ancient.

Have you tried the "compatibility setting". I think you did, but had to
bring it up. Under compatibility I think there is setting which makes
suggestions on how to apply "shims" which you can use to fool the OS into
allowing the app to run?

If that didn't work - you may be able to do a a step migration. Install an
intermediate version of access, see if you can convert the program to run
under something like access 2000 or 2003 - then import it into access 2007.
Waiting is not always the best thing to do when it comes to custom
applications minus code. Not ragging on you you, just restating the obvious.

 

[Beoweolf]

try installing virtual PC 2007 on your vista system. Create a downgraded PC,
then install and run your application in that virtual OSE.

 

[Gordon]

A google search of this topic showed some discussions of this exact
problem, but nothing about how to actually solve the problem.

I have a user who needs to run Access97 on their brand new Vista computer
(Enterprise - but I don't think that matters). At the end of the
installation (setup.exe run as Administrator), I get an error that says
"an error occurred at changing the workgroup database
SETUP couldn't create a system.mdw file. Reboot your computer and
run Workgroup Administrator before you run the application"

So I did that (as Administrator).

Nada.

Copied a System.mdw file from another machine and put it in a directory
called "C:\Apps\Office97Extras\" and pointed to it using Workgroup Admin.

Still nada.



I am officially out of ideas. Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?

I would rather use Open Office Base (v 2.4 I think is current) than
something that is THAT old.....

 

[Chris Barnes]

Try cross post to an Access group

Reading all the way to the end of the OP would be helpful...

 

[Chris Barnes]

Did you check to see if Access 97 is compatible with Vista? The fact that it
shows an error related to \system files could be a hint that it may be time
to update your application to something slightly more current. Access 97,
obviously, is several iterations below Access 2007, in software years - that
is ancient.

A few years ago my wife and I bought some land and began building a
house we had been dreaming of for 20+ years. We were very involved in
every step of the process, doing ALOT of the work ourselves. But, not
being professional construction homebuilders, we still hired a
professional contractor to oversee everything (including the work we
did). His name was Jay. We became pretty good friends during the
process.


During the building, my wife would often ask "can we do such-and-such".

Jay always had the same answer: "Sure. All it takes it money".


So it is with upgrading custom apps written in Access 97. Could it be
updated to run in Access 2000,2002,2003,2007? Sure - all it would take
is the money to pay the programmers. And for a program that ran "just
fine" as it was, it just didn't make alot of sense to spend that money
when we didn't have to.


For the record, the entire app *is* being replaced (with QuickBooks -
which tells you what kind of app it is/was). But we still need to be
able to get into it for historical reasons.

All this to simply say this: if you can't answer the question being
asked (as others were able to do), keep your fingers off the keyboard.

 

[Chris Barnes]

Answering my own question, since I found a way to do it

(1) Install somewhere OTHER than into the default location. I installed
to C:\Apps\MSOffice97

(2) Edit the properties of the folder (I did the entire C:\Apps) such
that USERS have FULL CONTROL

(3) copy the system.mdw file to this location and point to it using
Workgroup Admin

(4) install SP2 and Jet3.5 (to solve the "Out of Memory" problem which
is what next comes up).


Done. Now Access 97 happily runs on Vista.

 

[Paul Adare - MVP]

Reading all the way to the end of the OP would be helpful...

Just as reading all posts in a thread would be in your case. You're now the
3rd person to state exactly the same thing.

 

[Beoweolf]

The important thing is your satisfaction with the answer. My mistake was in
thinking that you didn't know the answer for the question you asked.
Obviously this is your hobby and your sole purpose was to solicit requests
and critique them based on some nebulous suitability index that only you
know. Fortunately, now I know too.

 

[Paul Montgomery]

The important thing is your satisfaction with the answer. My mistake was in
thinking that you didn't know the answer for the question you asked.

And in not knowing that he is a pretentious, pompous ass when he
perceives someone is questioning his knowledge.