References causing problems (1 Viewer)

[jezjez]

Hi
Ok this is going to sound strange but..

One day our Time Recording System was fine. The next day the Access provided Calendar function used in the time recording form shows "Name?" and debug errs out claiming invalid use of period or ! (err 2447 i think).

So i reset the references after erading a hint somewhere on this site.

All is now fine for half the users. For the other half the problem persists. I unselect and reselect the refernces on one of the problem machines (remember this is a database shared from a central location over the network) and the problem reverses; ie those that were originally fixed now dont work whilst those that were originally broken now work. And i can flip it too and fro at will.

Any suggestions at all happily received - i'm under real pressure to get this one fixed and i have no idea...

thanks guys

 

[jezjez]

Could this simply be missing references? Is there an easy way to check for that?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I've seen something like this. My answer might not be your answer, but then again, who knows? I'll give it a shot.

Does every system run the same version of Access? (They don't have to, in many cases.) Or are some machines patched and others not? I'll call the machines according to their Windows version including patch level as "X" and "Y" just to say they are different.

When you reset the reference on a machine with Windows version "X", do all the Windows version "Y" machines give trouble? And then when you reset the reference for the "Y" machines, does "X" rear its ugly head?

The problem is that references are stored in the registry, though the database also knows "something" about the references. If you have a single database with its reference list, but multiple machines with different versions of the same DLL, then when you change the references on the "X" machines to a particular file and version, machines of type "Y" might not have the same file. But the database now points to the reference for the "X" machines, so the "Y" machines get confused. Fix the "Y" references and "X" gets hosed. It is a no-win situation.

The solution is to absolutely be sure that all machines are at the same version of Windows down to the patch level. And I can absolutely guarantee that patches for MDAC (one of the DLL patch groups) will be part of any service pack. MDAC gets patched a LOT.

 

[jezjez]

hi Doc, thanks.

your reply sounds promising to me, i just got a hunch that its that kind of issue; your analysis sounds spot on. Unfortunately i also have to report that there should be no differences between the machines. i work for quite a large organisation that has an automated desktop rollout thingy (called Columbus i believe) that rolls out on startup.

But, in the best traditions of screw up theory; lets assume there are differences between the machines; whats the best way for me to check? how can i check the DLL patches?

thanks for your time on this.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Well, it will be tedious, and the answer might change from version to version of Windows. (Don'tcha just hate Bill Gates for that?) But you could try this:

Find one of the DLL files that always gives you trouble. Since you have to go in and muck them about all the time, you know which ones they are. Find that file by opening MyComputer and traversing the folders until you find it in an ordinary folder window (Do NOT use Windows Explorer for this - it hides some things you want to see).

Right-click on the file, select Properties from the pop-up list, and then select the Version tab from the properties dialog box. For each machine that has had the problem, compare all info. (While you are at it, note the path that got you where you are.)

Now, there is another situation that could do this to you... file folder infrastructure. If the path to the same file differs on two machines, your auto-installer probably doesn't care and just installs it where the registry says the old version was found. BUT if the path differs on another machine, you've found your problem. PATHING also makes a difference. Access is not so lenient about alternate pathing.