can't carry out this action at the present time

[kimmer6160]

I have an access 2000 database that has been running great but all of a sudden this week I have 4 users that have started getting the error "You can't carry out this action at the present time". This doesn't happen on one particular button or form or report. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. And it does not happen to them all of the time. Sometimes it will happen to them first thing in the morning and then not the rest of the day. Then some days it happens constantly all day long. It happens when they use the mde or the mdb. I have about 35 other users that have never recieved this message and are using this database with no problems. The ones that are having problems do not have any different software installed. They run all of the same things as everyone else. I have replaced the dll files used in the references to be sure that they were not corrupt. I had read that filters can cause this but I do not use filters. I can not find anything out there on the web that gives a solution to this problem. Microsoft doesn't even have anything on their knowledge base when I search for the error message. I am so frustrated!!! Please help!

 

[spacepro]

35 users

Is the error number 2486, if so then the following applies:

You can't carry out this action at the present time.@You tried to run a macro or used the DoCmd object in Visual Basic to carry out an action. However, Microsoft Access is performing another activity that prevents this action from being carried out now.
For example, no actions on a form can be carried out while Microsoft Access is repainting a control or calculating an expression.@Carry out the action later.@1@@1

if not what is the error code?

Andy

 

[kimmer6160]

There is no error code on the box that pops up. It just says Error in the title bar and then the message "You can't carry out this action at the present time" with an OK button. I have many DoCmd lines in VB throughout the database but there is no rhyme or reason when it gives this message. They can just open a form and go to a different record and get it (there are no DoCmd lines in the OnCurrent event). There has not been anything changed in a long time in the code and it was working fine. If there was a problem with the code then wouldn't every user get the error? It is only 4 users that have the problem and it only happens on their PC. So, that makes me think it has to be a problem with the PC not the database. I even tried uninstalling and reinstalling Office yesterday. That didn't help.

35 users

Is the error number 2486, if so then the following applies:

You can't carry out this action at the present time.@You tried to run a macro or used the DoCmd object in Visual Basic to carry out an action. However, Microsoft Access is performing another activity that prevents this action from being carried out now.
For example, no actions on a form can be carried out while Microsoft Access is repainting a control or calculating an expression.@Carry out the action later.@1@@1

if not what is the error code?

Andy

 

[spacepro]

Do you have any calculated fields or query's that run in the background that is triggered by other user's?

Do the 4 pc's have a different operating system than the other 31 users?
or a different version of access?


Andy

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Are we talking Ac2K database that is self-contained, or one that is only a front-end for something else like MySQL, SQL Server, ORACLE, etc.?

Is there a hidden startup form lurking in the background under the active form? (I have one, for example, that I use to keep track of what my users are doing at specific times during the day.)

How recently have these PCs been patched? (Like, using IE, go to the MS Update site. That kind of patching.)

 

[kimmer6160]

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to both of these posts. To answer the questions:

No there are not any calculated fields or query's running in the background that are triggered by other user's

They are running Win 98 and so are several other user's.

It is an Access 2000 database that is running as a front end with the data in a seperate Access 2000 database as the backend.

I have made sure everyone is running the latest updates for both Windows and Office.

The one thing that we have figured out that these PCs have in common is that they were all ordered and shipped in the same shipment from Compaq. We have other deskpros in the office but they were purchased at different times. I don't know if that could matter. Could it be that they have a hardware issue?

I have tried installing Windows XP on one of them and so far it seems that the problem has stopped. I have someone using it right now and thought I would see what happens in the next day or so since this seems to be a problem that comes and goes.

 

[Vekleth]

It seems to be the version of Windows you're running on. I encounterend the same problem (and yes the system has macros/vba/complex calculation behind the scene) on Windows 7 with an Access 2003 application. It opens fine on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP with no problems.