If you are a regular user of Microsoft Access you must be aware about Microsoft Jet Database Engine which is used in various Microsoft applications including Access. Microsoft Jet 3.0 is used in the earlier version of Access like 95 and 97 while Microsoft Jet 4.0 is used in Access 2000, 2002 and 2003. Microsoft Jet does not use a transaction log and when used in a multi-user environment, there is a risk of encountering several errors while opening data and in worse case corruption of data which will eventually require you to run a proper Access recovery process.
While mounting your Access database files you can either encounter some errors or may not be able to open the Access application at all. Errors may occur due to corruption of data stored in the database files. Errors while accessing Access database occurs mostly when you try to open the application in a multi-user environment. In most of the cases you may receive the following error:
“The Microsoft Jet database engine could not find the object MsysDb. Make sure the object exists and that you spell its name and path name.”
The primary cause for such an error is .mdb and .accdb file corruption. If the error doesn’t go away you may require running an immediate Access recovery programme to recover the damaged database files. There are various reasons why an .mdb or .accdb file in the database may go corrupt. The most important reasons primarily responsible are as follows:
- Interrupted read/write operation: It is important to properly quit Access by clicking on ‘Exit’ or ‘Close’ on the ‘File’ menu. If the computer is shut down without properly exiting Access the Jet database may mark the database as corrupt leading to loss of data. The Jet database sets a flag every time it writes an operation and resets it when the operation completes. If the write operation is interrupted the flag remains set and when you try to open it next time the system will report the data as corrupt.
- Faulty network hardware: Faulty network hardware can also cause the database file to become corrupt. When one or more hardware chain between the computers on which the database resides and on which the database is opened malfunctions. This happens mostly in a multi-user database system especially in offices.
- Opening and saving .mdb and .accdb file in another programme: Caution should be taken while opening .mdb and .accdb files and they should not be opened and saved in another programme. For example if you open a .mdb or .accdb file in Microsoft Word or Excel the file is sure to go corrupt and it cannot be recovered back unless and until you have proper backup.
It is important for all users to take proper back up of their files on a regular basis to prevent the loss of data. If any error or corruption in the Access database occurs the best course of action is to use the integrated “Compact and Repair” tool as the first step. Access recovery is not always successful with the free integrated tool as it can only recover tables, queries and indexes that are in the database. If you wish to recover all your important files that the “Compact and Repair” tool cannot recover then you should consider using effective third party software like “DataNumen Access Repair” which can recover almost every type of file from the database.