ACC: Cannot Connect DDE from MS Word to Microsoft Access (109948)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Access 1.0
- Microsoft Access 1.1
- Microsoft Access 2.0
- Microsoft Access for Windows 95 7.0
- Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q109948
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.
SYMPTOMS
When you are running a Mail Merge in Microsoft Word for Windows, you
cannot connect to a Microsoft Access database using dynamic data exchange
(DDE) because the DDE option is not available in the Confirm Data Source
dialog box.
CAUSE
This problem occurs when Microsoft Word cannot determine that Microsoft
Access is installed on your computer.
RESOLUTION
If Microsoft Access is installed on your computer, you may need to
reinstall it to ensure that all of its settings are registered correctly.
However, depending on your version of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access,
you may need to perform these additional steps:
If Using Microsoft Word 7.0 with Microsoft Access 2.0
You must add the path of the Microsoft Access folder to the PATH setting in
the Autoexec.bat file.
-or-
Manually add the Microsoft Access settings to the Windows 95 registry.
NOTE: This resolution will not work when using long file names.
For more information on adding settings to the registry, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
137076 WD: Can't Use Microsoft Access Files (.MDB or DDE) with Word
If Using Microsoft Word 6.0 with Microsoft Access 7.0
Microsoft Word version 6.0 looks in the Extensions section of the Win.ini
file to determine whether Microsoft Access is installed. Because Microsoft
Access version 7.0 registers itself only in the Windows 95 registry, the
Win.ini file must be updated manually or by using the following steps:
- Start File Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Run, and
opening the Winfile.exe file.
- In File Manager, click Associate on the File menu.
- Type MDB in the Files With Extension
box.
- Click the Browse button.
- Select your Access folder in the Directories box, and then select
the Msaccess.exe file in the File Name box.
- Click OK.
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 10/11/2006 |
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Keywords: | kbinterop kbprb kbProgramming KB109948 |
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