Microsoft Access is one of the most widely used database management systems in the world which stores tables, forms, queries and a lot of other information in an MDB file. An MDB file is the most vital tool in Access and is important for the proper functioning of database. The MDB file is vulnerable to corruption due to various reasons and whenever such a thing happens it becomes impossible to access the data without proper MDB recovery. However, following a few simple steps can avert the corruption of MDB file.
There are various reasons as to why an MDB file may go corrupt and render the data unusable. While dealing with MDB file extreme caution is required to prevent such an occurrence from happening. It is always better to prevent an MDB file from going corrupt than to indulge in a recovery process after the damage has already been done. Taking a few wise decisions in time can avert damage to the MDB file and prevent corruption of data. So let us now look at some of the most common reasons which can render the MDB file corrupt, and steps you should take to prevent data corruption and to avoid MDB recovery process.
If you are a regular user of Microsoft Access, you must be aware that the size of MDB file keeps on growing everyday as you put more and more data into the system. It is important to keep the file size in check so that it does not hamper the performance of the Access application. An oversized MDB file is the root cause of corruption in many cases. It is therefore advisable to browse through your file and look for unwanted objects and delete them on a regular basis. However, keep in mind that deleting unwanted objects do not always solve the problem, and in most cases it causes even more problem as the deleted items are not really deleted but are moved temporarily. This creates patches of free space which the system cannot properly utilize and finally lead to data corruption. If the file goes corrupt you can recover the data from a back up copy, but in case you do not have any back up you may have to take the help of third party data recovery software like “DataNumen Access Repair” for proper MDB recovery.
An MDB file may also get corrupt if Access application is not closed properly by pressing the ‘Exit’ or ‘Close’ button on the ‘File’ menu. If you shut down your computer without first exiting Access the Jet database engine may mark the database as suspect or corrupt. The Jet database engine can also mark the database corrupt if there is a hard disk failure, power failure, and Operating System failure or even in case of a data collision.
Another important cause of MDB corruption is faulty networking hardware. This happens especially when you are in a multi-user database system, especially in offices. If the database is open on a system where it is in contact with a faulty hardware like network interface cards, network cabling, routers and hubs then there is an increased risk of the file getting corrupted. If the files get corrupted due to faulty networking hardware it is impossible for the integrated “Compact and Repair” utility to recover the data.
Opening or saving an MDB file in another programme can also cause the data stored in it to become corrupt. When you try to open an MDB file in Access make sure you always open it with the default programme and not with another programme like Microsoft Word or Excel. If you try to open in another programme it will show some random series or characters and the file will eventually become corrupt. File corrupted this way is not recoverable with the “Compact and Repair” tool and for this you should take the help of external third party recovery software like “DataNumen Access Repair” as mentioned above.