Supporting Access 97

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stapes
  • Start date Start date
S

Stapes

Hi

A prospective client has sent me a set of database files that he would
like me to support & upgrade occasionally. They are all Access 97
files. When opening them, all bar one gave me the option of converting
to Access 2003 format. Why did one file not give me that option?
Also, I can only make changes in these new versions of the files, but
they will presumably be useless to the customer unless he upgrades his
version of Access. Is that right?

Yours

Database WUSS
 
Hi Stapes,

After you change the database, you can convert it back to Access 97
format ... make sure you use the

Microsoft DAO 2.5/3.51 Compatibility Library

as that is the one that is in Access 97 by default

Also, preface all dao objects with dao. when you dim them

ie:
Dim rst as Dao.RecordSet

and don't use things like CurrentProject

Warm Regards,
Crystal
*
(: have an awesome day :)
*
MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
*
 
You could use Virtual PC and setup a virtual system that has whatever OS
your client uses and Office 97. Then you can do the Access 97 development
work in that virtual system and your client won't get any surprises. If your
client has an older OS, like Windows NT for example, you will probably see
dll conflicts if do db development on a more modern OS and then send them
the updated db. The virtual development environment protects you from all
that.

The one db that did not give you the upgrade option might have already been
marked as enabled for use in a later Access version. I think that's a
one-time choice that is saved as part of the db properties once a user says
to enable rather than convert. The intent is that it shouldn't nag you every
time you open the db. If you want to convert it, it probably can be done by
opening Access 2003 without opening a db. On the Tools menu choose Convert
and proceed from there. Or maybe you can change that Enabled setting by
opening the db and going to the File menu, Properties.
Paul Shapiro
 
Sorry to argue Crystal, but Access 97 uses "Microsoft DAO 3.51 Object
Library" by default, not "Microsoft DAO 2.5/3.51 Compatibility Library". Of
course, that's kind of moot, since he won't be able to change which DAO
library he's using in the 2003 version.

And since it's doubtful he'll be using ADO, he should remove the reference
to Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.1 Library. That will eliminate the need
to prefix the DAO objects (although there's nothing wrong with prefixing
them: I do it all the time in Access 97)
 
thanks for correcting me, Doug, you are abosultely right!

Warm Regards,
Crystal
*
(: have an awesome day :)
*
MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
*
 
After you change the database, you can convert it back to Access
97 format ... make sure you use the

Microsoft DAO 2.5/3.51 Compatibility Library

as that is the one that is in Access 97 by default
Click to expand...

Er, what? No, the compatibility library is only necessary when
converting from Access 2 up to A97.
Also, preface all dao objects with dao. when you dim them

ie:
Dim rst as Dao.RecordSet

and don't use things like CurrentProject
Click to expand...

What? If he's starting with an A97 database and converting it to
A2K3 (probably A2K format), then he doesn't need to worry about any
of these things, as an ADO reference will not be included unless
it's in the original.

It's a bad idea to try to develop for A97 in any version of Access
except A97, but for occasional work, it works just fine to do it
this way, and doesn't cause any of the problems you've described
*unless* the A97 database is recreated from scratch instead of
converted.
 
Hi David,

yes, I slipped up with the library name -- chalk that up to many hours
with little sleep :)

as for developing for Access 97 from a different version -- I do it!
But then I know what A97 had as I used it extensively... I was assuming
he was going to code new stuff ...

"bad idea to try to develop for A97 in any version of Access except A97"

agreed -- because I can't test what I do, I leave that up to the client
(although it usually seems to be ok)


Warm Regards,
Crystal
*
(: have an awesome day :)
*
MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
*
 
Hi Stapes,

if you will do much coding with the A97 database, it would be wise to

1. get another drive to be used as a boot drive and install Office 97
2. boot to that drive to work with your A97 database

hey, drives are cheap, time isn't

alternately, you can also set up a virtual drive. I haven't done that,
but my research indicates that it is best to make your virtual drive on
a seperate physical drive


Warm Regards,
Crystal
*
(: have an awesome day :)
*
MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
*
 
strive4peace said:
if you will do much coding with the A97 database, it would be wise to
Click to expand...

May I respectfully disagree with you here. <smile>

I've been happily working with A97, A2000, A2002 and A2003 on the same
system for years.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
 
Tony Toews said:
May I respectfully disagree with you here. <smile>

I've been happily working with A97, A2000, A2002 and A2003 on the same
system for years.
Click to expand...

Ditto for me (with 2007 recently added). Most development in 97 with the newer
ones around just for converting and testing.
 
Hi Tony,

"May I respectfully disagree"

of course, Tony! *You* may disagree with me anytime :)

I can only speak from my own experience -- and because I depend so much
on my development machine(s) (or should I say "drives") to support my
family, I haven't been brave enough to install anything together -- even
when I worked with both 97 and higher versions, I always kept them on
seperate boot drives ... although, I did have Access 2.0 and Access 97
successfully on one drive many moons ago <smile>



Warm Regards,
Crystal
*
(: have an awesome day :)
*
MVP Access
Remote Programming and Training
strive4peace2006 at yahoo.com
*
 
strive4peace said:
"May I respectfully disagree"

of course, Tony! *You* may disagree with me anytime :)
Click to expand...

I feel so privileged. said:
I can only speak from my own experience -- and because I depend so much
on my development machine(s) (or should I say "drives") to support my
family, I haven't been brave enough to install anything together -- even
when I worked with both 97 and higher versions, I always kept them on
seperate boot drives ... although, I did have Access 2.0 and Access 97
successfully on one drive many moons ago <smile>
Click to expand...

I also did have a runtime of A2.0 installed on my system. Which
didn't use any registry entries.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
 
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