Repair an .MDB file with a corrupted Record?

[FredWagner]

A user had her PC sieze up while enter Access data in a form. After rebooting, when<br>
she tries to access that record, she gets a message that that record is locked by another user. There are no other users (other directories on this PC are shared, but not the one she is using). in the table view, this record shows #Error in every field.<br>
Efforts to Export, convert, or repair the file within access stop at the bad record (#11 out of 82). Short of rekeying the data, does anyone know of a way to repair the file?<br>
Thanks in advance!<br>
<p>Fred Wagner<br><a href=mailto:frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us>frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>

 

[DougP]

You mentioned Convert I guess you mean Compress.<br>
Can you delete the .ldb file.<br>
If not and the database (.mdb and .ldb) are on the server then you may have to re-boot the server.<br>
Then try to open it and see if that helps.<br>
Can you delete the corrupted record in datasheet view?<br>
<br>

 

[elizabeth]

Probably not convert or compress but compact <br>
If you have a backup of the table where that one record is correct, you can import the table, click on the record in table view, then ctl-c, then ctl-v on the new record indicator in the corrupted table to paste it in.

 

[FredWagner]

I cannot access the corrupted record in table view - I cannot get past in in scrolling, or in any export or convert operation...other ideas? <p>Fred Wagner<br><a href=mailto:frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us>frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>

 

[DougP]

Create a new blank .MDB <br>
Click &quot;Tables&quot; tab<br>
right click in the white and <br>
click &quot;Import&quot;<br>
find your corrupted .MDB<br>
see if you can import the table<br>
Then see if you can see the record(s)<br>
<br>
there is a Program that Microsoft supplies which they say is better that the Compact/Repair inside Access.<br>
I have not had much luck with it.<br>
But it's called Jet35upd.exe it should be in their FREE download area. I have it here but I don't know where I got it. Comes with instrucions too.<br>
<br>
PS the first rule of any Administrator is &quot;BACK IT UP&quot;<br>
So if you crash something it should be on last nights bcakup<br>

 

[elizabeth]

I think that includes updated Jet .dlls that are included in either 97's SR1 or SR2 (patches) and in 2000. If I remember correctly this is the package that updates their &quot;compact&quot; command (as accessed via Tos/DbUtilities/Compact) into an improved Compact & Repair as seen in Access 2000.<br>
<br>
I had this same thing happen to me and all the data after the corrupted record was lost for good, but these are the same steps MS support line gave me, &quot;just in case&quot; it worked. I used the new Compact & Repair but it didn't help. I had a backup from the previous day but unfortunately it had been a busy day in Data Entry, so we did lose a lot of data.

 

[FredWagner]

Thanks for all the advice! I did give the user a lecture about always making a backup copy of the .MDB file at the end of the day. I was going to update her to Office97 SR-2 in the hope the improved files might help, but she was reluctant, and it sounds like it wouldn't have helped anyway. Will try the Jet35upd.exe, just in case! <p>Fred Wagner<br><a href=mailto:frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us>frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>

 

[DougP]

Fred,<br>
If your going to lecture the user it should be about saving company data on a server drive and not the local drive. She should be storing company data on a Server drive that gets backed up every night. Also then if other users need access to that file they can use it if permitted.<br>
<br>

 

[FredWagner]

DougP -<br>
You're preaching to the choirmaster here! This particular user is in a department that is cheap and doesn't take advice well! They don't HAVE any servers, the best they do is peer-to-peer! I am gradually gaining the confidence of the department head, and when he relocates to a different building this spring, I may be able to get some of his people onto an existing server. A lot of his work is tied into mainframes and minis, so the PC-only apps take a back seat. If it were my application, it wouldn't even be in Access! (of course I'm an old Revelation G2B developer, but there isn't any of that around here, and if you don't have a backup, it doesn't matter what database you're using... tho with Rev, if you had a bad record (reported as a Frame Format Error), you could create a new database file, and copy all the records from old to new, and when you hit the bad frame, just press S for Skip at the Abort, Retry, Fail, Skip prompt). Sure would be nice if a 'modern' database like Access could do what old-time databases could! <p>Fred Wagner<br><a href=mailto:frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us>frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>