How to Deal with Error 80004005 in MS Access

In this article we look at causes behind the error 80004005 in MS Access and look at ways to resolve it.  

Error 80004005 in MS Access is a Jet database Engine error, this prevents the user from being able to access the database and view records. This error does not arise due to problem only in the database engine but due to combination of problems. One of the most common scenarios in which it occurs is, while attempting to use a shared folder on a virtual box. This error can stall the user’s progress to a great extent and can arise often due to multiple reasons. Explained below are few of the common reasons and solutions one can opt for dealing with this error.

Causes of Error 80004005

1. Account used by Microsoft Internet Information Server (MIIS), has incorrect Windows NT permissions. This prevents the user from accessing a file based database or folder containing the file.
2. Both the file and name of the data source are marked Exclusive.
3. The database is open under another process or by another user.
4. There is also a possibility of the error being caused due to delegation issues, it is advisable to check the authentication mode. If Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is being used by the connection string, make use of Basic authentication or Absolute path
5. Error 80004005 may also occur when accessing a local MS Access database linked to a table which is further linked to Access database in a network server.

Solutions to Error 80004005

For the above mentioned causes, you can use the following set of solutions.

1. Check for permissions on files and folders. Ensure that you possess the permission for creating and destroying temporary files. Usually the folder containing the database contains the temporary files.
2. Make sure that the Data Source Name (DSN) and the file have not been marked Exclusive.
3. There is a possibility that Microsoft Visual InterDev can be access by the other user, shut down all InterDev operations containing data connection to database.
4. You can also switch to SQL Server to avoid the error from occurring, or make use of any leading tool to repair mdb or accdb database.

Conclusion

For multiple errors occurring in a database software, it is difficult to always pin point the exact cause for the error. In any software or application, there can be multiple reasons to why an error would pop up. Therefore the above mentioned causes are not the only causes why you would encounter Error 80004005, there can be various other causes as well. This is applicable to the list of solutions as well, if there can be numerous errors, there can be numerous solutions as well, depending on why the error would arise.

Error 80004005 is not a very difficult error to deal with, however it is obstructing for sure. If you encounter this error, you will not be able to access databases till you do not resolve the issue. The above mentioned causes and solutions work most of the times, so trying them out might help you solve the issue and get going.

Author Introduction:

Vivian Stevens is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including mdf repair and excel recovery software products. For more information visit www.datanumen.com