Resurrecting Very OLD relational mdbs

[gershonb]

Hello. I designed a relational database in Access back in the early 1990s (Windows 3.1 !) which was for tracking client records, entering progress notes, outputting forms, and essentially doing all of my significant pile of paperwork on the 24 pound laptops we had back then. I've saved the suite of mdb files because in my present field I want to show the design and function as part of a professional portfolio. The problem is that the newer Access in the newest Office suite will not open them. I want to resurrect the entire set of mdb files with links and dependencies attached. Any ideas? I'm sure there is some very simple fix out there that I just missed.
Thanks gershonb

 

[DavidAtWork]

You'd probably have to go back to Access 2000 which I think was the last version that could open the old Access 2/97 files
David

 

[gershonb]

Thanks for your reply, and bloody hell!
What about Backward Compatibility, and other quaint things....
For example, Windows Server 08 has backward compatibility modules to take in things into the 1990s.
Don't mean to rant. Where does one get an ancient copy of Access?
Again, thanks for your time...
A Rather Ancient Access Maven...

 

[bob fitz]

Thanks for your reply, and bloody hell!
What about Backward Compatibility, and other quaint things....
For example, Windows Server 08 has backward compatibility modules to take in things into the 1990s.
Don't mean to rant. Where does one get an ancient copy of Access?
Again, thanks for your time...
A Rather Ancient Access Maven...

Have you tried Google? I think I found Ver2 for sale at Amazon. See: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Access-2-0-OLD-VERSION/dp/B00002S7WB

 

[gershonb]

Thanks, Bob. I have tried Google. I am trying to avoid paying 89 dollars for something that should be Abandonware at this point. More info: I discovered that I stored the original Access 2.0 program files (1993) in the same folder with all the related database files. Since I am a Virtual Machine enthusiast, I've tried creating an environment in which I could either install or run the program. I've downloaded an Access 2000 runtime version. My goal right now is to create a Windows 3.1 virtual machine, install the primitive Access and/or runtime version, test it, and store the whole little world on a thumb drive that I could take to job interviews.
I got Windows 3.1 up on Windows PC for all of three minutes. This is why I use VMware whenever possible. :banghead:The problem now is getting the Win31 files onto a CD, since the unzipper ini file wants to load onto a floppy. Hope I didn't throw out all my floppies. Luckily, I have an ancient laptop with a floppy drive. Don't touch that dial. BTW I'm a student in Health Care Technology (my 3rd career), presently in the middle of the MCITP-Server Administrator track.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Perhaps you can find a friend or coworker who still has A2K installed. What happened to your old software? You could dig it out and reinstall it. Then think about your hourly rate. How many hours are you spending to attempt this win 3.1 recreation and how long would it take to simply convert the old databases if you sprung for the $89 to buy a new copy of A2K?

 

[gershonb]

Well, I haven't had to spend anything and used very little time getting an appropriate copy of Access 2.0, which was what I ran the old apps on. I just stopped googling Access 2.0 and tried googling Abandonware. An abandonware museum site had Win 3.1 for Workgroups available in a VMware VM. Installed that in VMware, and voila: Access 2.x is part of that distribution. So, now just putting the old Access files on that machine. Access 2 didn't appear from that site when googling it because a lot of web sites still arrange their data in table format, which hides it from search engines. Nothing like talking to colleagues to get one's brain booted up.

 

[Kingsley Aghedo]

I am trying to find a way to recover data deleted from a Microsoft Access
database. When I look at the database file as plain text I see that the
data is still there.
Does anyone know if it is possible to reconnect to this data and how it can
be done?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Welcome aboard Yes, it can frequently be done but you'll need to find a service to do it for you. Have you tried the various techniques for fixing it yourself?
1. Compact and repair
2. Decompile
3. Import into a clean database

The owner of this forum offers reconstruction services. Look on the services tab.