Service Pack 3 nightmare

[Timoty]

I'll make this short and sweet.
I work for a large corporation. We moved to a very new and nice building with updated servers that are extrodinary. Somewhere in the move they addedd service pack three. The database I have was built in access 2000 on a workstation with NT 4 on it. I now have a workstation with Windows 2000 on it. I keep getting errors with my database. Weird things like "NAME is not a recognized database or is corrupt" then I try to repair it at the prompt and all my forms and queries are messed up. I have backups, Thank God, but the issues make the database unusable. I noticed that the issues only occurr when two or more people are using it. The temp file extention type is different now. It is Access.Lockfile.9. This is about as important to the technicins as paint drying. They support only hardware. However, this databse is very important to my department. However, one technician thought that this might be an issue with service pack 3, which is the only major software change that has taken place since the old building.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Kodo]

just to sort out your environment..

you're on windows 2000 with OfficeXP Sp3 using an Access 2000 formatted database?

 

[Timoty]

It is definately an access 2000 formated databse. I am definately using windows 2000. As for the service pack.....all I can tell you is this.....When I pleated with IT about my plite, they informed me that in the move to the new building they had updated office to service pack 3. Since we work with office 2000 on all the workstations, I assumed that it was service pack three for office 2000. I would have to ask to be sure and will do so. However, the reply will not be nearly as quick as yours was.

 

[mousemat]

Just as a matter of interest, where does the database reside? Does it reside on the central server with everyone accessing it from there or is it a standalone database residing on only a handful of workstations?

 

[Timoty]

OK..I took the liberty of walking upstairs into their office (waiting for an email reply was out of the question). It was service pack three for office 2000. Again, it was just an idea from one of the IT guys that this may have casued my errors. He is having issues with a program he created with outlook as a result of the same service pack.

In answer to the second question, the database resides on a shared drive on the server. About 10 people access it from there, never more than three at a time.

 

[mousemat]

I know what you mean about IT departments. I am contracted to one at the moment and the two guys I work for a so lazy it beggars belief!!!

Enough slating of the IT departments. I have found an article on the microsoft website

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-47D0-4306-9FA4-8E92D36332FE&displaylang=EN

Read the part about installing SP3 in particular the part about it having to be installed after the Service Release 1a Update (SR1a)

Does each workstation have their own copy of Office? If so, that may need to be updated to. We had similar problems here whereby I had to go and update each of 800 pc's with the latests updates etc

 

[Timoty]

I'll be honest, as computer savy as I am, I am not familiar with how they have this network rigged. It would appear that the office program is spread all over the place with portions of it residing on the workstations and parts on the server. I know that the workstations check the server on accasion, and if some update has been deemed necessary, the workstation automatically updates itself from the server.

I am fairly certain that the office pack resides primarily on the server....heavin forbid we have too much control over our own workstations =-)

I will check out that link.......thanks

 

[mousemat]

Just an idea really but I guess the IT department haven't updated all of the system properly, but don't tell them that, you know what they are like!!!!

Hope you manage to get it resolved especially as it is an important database.

(IT Department only maintain the hardware!!!!!! wow I have heard it all now)

 

[Kodo]

I am the IT department.lol. I do hardware, software, network, workstations, development..so I can't slam myself

any case, it sounds like you have an SUS server for MS updates. It would be ideal, however, if you could tell us in definite if your Office installation is local or server. If it's server, is there any chance of installing local and testing?

 

[Timoty]

Well I especially found this part interesting on the microsoft page:
I am willing to bet large sums of money on the fact that it wasn't done.
They don't like me using access, and they especially don't like the fact that I create databases that other individuals use with it. I have been fighting the system for four years. How convenient for this to be forgotten....if it was indeed forgotten. Problem is that I don't have admin access and if I can't convince them to check for such errors (since it is not in their mandate) I'm yukered.


Office 2000 SP3 and Microsoft Access

If you are a Microsoft Access 2000 user, please follow these steps before installing Office 2000 SP3:
You may want to print this page to use as a reference when you are offline.
Download the o2ksp3.exe file from the Microsoft Office Tools on the Web site by clicking the Download button above and saving the file to your hard disk.
Locate the three acwz*.mde files on your hard disk. The English version of Office 2000 installs these files in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\1033 by default. The files are: acwztool.mde, acwzmain.mde, and acwzlib.mde.
Rename the three files from step 3 acwz*.mde files to acwz*.old in the same location. You can do this by right-clicking each file, selecting Rename, and typing the new file name. Or, in the command line, you can type: ren acwz*.mde acwz*.old.
Double-click the o2kSP3.exe program file on your hard disk to start the setup program.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

 

[Timoty]

I am 99.999999% sure it is server. I used to have local before the move. The reason being, that I was a building attatched down the street via fiber optic cable. The building was old and oftened lost power, and I wanted to be able to work for a living =-).

Getting it installed local is almost completly out of the question. I would have to have it done for all 10 users wouldn't I?

 

[mousemat]

Sounds like you could be right about the update not being done properly.

Yes, you wouldneed to have the Office program on all 10 workstations to be effective really.

The quickest way to get that done is let everyone who uses the database complain to the IT department. Sounds like you have a nasty IT department there to be honest (they must have enough licences for the software if they are running from a server so that can't be an excuse). See if you can get management on your side. Amazing what IT people do when pushed from higher management (Especially where I am at the moment)

 

[Timoty]

OK I NEED TO SAY THIS IN FAIRNESS

The three or four people that I work with in IT are very helpfull. In fact they stretch things to the limit to help me. It is the people they deal with that make things impossible. They keep tightening the reigns every month. I work for the federal government. They restrict access more and more by the day to the point where IT can do very little. Security to the point of tinkering with microsofts programs in order to restrict the users from accessing or doing anything. I can't even lower the time before my bloody screen saver goes on. Heven forbid I go to take a leak and someone see my work.

All I can do is pass this info on and hope that they can plead with the White thrown. It must be causing issues for other people since it is a national upgrade.

 

[Kodo]

I was suggesting a local install for testing purposes to help pin point the problem. (only one system needed to test)

 

[mousemat]

I work for the federal government

Thats all you need to say!!!

Most IT guys are cool with the majority of things but when talking about security in relation to the federal government then thats a whole new ball game.

Perhaps suggesting Kodo's approach would work best in this instance

 

[Timoty]

If either the renaming of files as stated on the microsoft page, or the upgrade prior to SP# was NOT performed......is there a way to go back and fix this? I noticed that uninstalling SP3 is not an option so how does one go back and repair the damage?

I just talked to my IT guy again. They are going to pass the info along...but just in answer to a previous question. The majority of Office resides on the server with portions of it on the local machines. The install is rigged by the main IT group for security reasons.

Last question: If I was to create a shared drive on my local machine and give permissions to the 4 people in this office, put the database on the shared drive and have them access it from here...would that solve the problem possibly or would it be no different that running it off of the server's shared drive?

 

[mousemat]

Last question: If I was to create a shared drive on my local machine and give permissions to the 4 people in this office, put the database on the shared drive and have them access it from here...would that solve the problem possibly or would it be no different that running it off of the server's shared drive?

Not sure about the reinstallation, although as will all MS software you could try.

As for having a shared drive on your PC, i guess that you would not be abble to do that, security issues ect, however if you share a drive on your machine, install a complete copy of either Access 2000 or XP on each of the machines properly then yes it would work,. your main machine would need to remain on all the time it is being accessed by the others

 

[Timoty]

Thanks for all the advise....The local install may be possible but unlikely. They may do it for testing as you suggested but it would never remain that way.

I can only hope that they solve the issue. After all it only took six months to build and it only holds four years worth of data for 900 employees and over 4000 "clients"......clients may not be the right word =-)

 

[mousemat]

Well I wish you every success in getting it sorted.