Strange Characters in Access DB.

[xxcfdrr]

Hi all. I've got an access db from a CD that belonged to an application which runs from the CD or from your computer after install. I've copied the access db from the CD, opened it and I would like to access some of the information in some of the tables in order to build some queries, inserting this info into an existing SQL db we have. Problem is, some of the important data in columns are filled with illegible, scrambled looking symbols. Here are some examples of the data from a few cells, if this cuts and pastes properly: ö?ٶܻd}Ñ or ÷?ںܹg|Ó or ö?ٶܻd}Õ .

I need the data out of this column, but can't figure out if it's encrypted (didn't think you could do that in older versions of access) or if there is something else I am missing. I've looked in design view and the column in question has the same attributes as the other fields with good data in them, ie Data Type is just set to Text. I've taken the db file right off the CD so I know it isn't corrupt (the original application works fine).

The .mdb file is a little over 100mb but I could zip it and send it to someone if they wanted to see it for themselves.

Hoping this is an easy one for someone out there. Thanks,

 

[xxcfdrr]

Anyone?

 

[Golom]

My guess would be that it is encrypted but not by Access.

Its quite possible to write a routine to encrypt a field in a table and, if that's been done, then you probably can't recover the data in the field without the encrypt / decrypt routines that created it.

I have a database that's encrypted that way and the letter "X" appears as "??
 QFxFrSt^WZ" Probably not much hope of cracking that without a super computer and some high-powered code breaking software.