PRB: Error "Unrecognized Database Format" When You Upgrade to Access 2000 or 2002 (238401)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft Access 2002
  • Microsoft Data Access Components 2.5
  • Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6
This article was previously published under Q238401

SYMPTOMS

If you try to gain access to an Access 2000 or Access 2002 database, you may receive one of the following errors within your Visual Basic program.

If you are using Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) (or the ADO Data Control), you receive the following error message:
Run-time error -2147467259 Unrecognized Database Format XXX
If you are using Data Access Objects (DAO) (or the DAO generic Data Control), you receive the following error message:
Run-time error 3343 Unrecognized Database Format XXX

CAUSE

Access 2000 and Access 2002 use the Jet 4.0 engine, which creates Jet 4.0 format database files. Jet 3.5 components do not recognize such a format.
  • If you are using ADO, you get error -2147467259 when you try to connect to your Access 2000 or 2002 database through the Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.3.51 provider.
  • If you are using DAO, you get error 3343 when you use the Microsoft DAO 3.51 Object Library.
  • The DAO generic Data Control does not work against Access 2000 or 2002 databases and always generates error 3343 unless it is used as instructed in the "Resolution" section of this article. This occurs because this control is based on Jet 3.51 and only recognizes Jet 3.51 (or before) database formats.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods:
  • Install Visual Studio Service Pack 4 or later. (If you are using the Data Control, change its Connect property to Access 2000.)
  • For ADO (or the ADO Data Control), use the Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 provider.
  • For DAO, add a reference to the Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library.
  • If you use the generic Data Control, you must open a DAO 3.6 recordset and then assign it to be the source of the Data Control as follows:
    Option Explicit
Private daoDB36 As Database
Private rs As DAO.Recordset
Dim sPath As String

Private Sub Form_Load()
sPath = _
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\Northwind.mdb"
Set daoDB36 = DBEngine(0).OpenDatabase(sPath)
Set rs = daoDB36.OpenRecordset("Customers")
Set Data1.Recordset = rs
End Sub
  • This problem has been addressed by Visual Basic Service Pack 4. A new value (Access 2000) has been added for the Connect property that will allow the DAO Data Control to open Access 2000 databases.

STATUS

This problem was first corrected in Visual Studio 6.0 Service Pack Service Pack 4.For additional information about Visual Studio service packs, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

194295 HOWTO: Tell That a Visual Studio Service Pack Is Installed

To download the latest Visual Studio service pack, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates/

REFERENCES

For more information on Jet 4.0, refer to the Access 2000 documentation.

For more information on ADO and DAO, refer to the Visual Basic documentation.

For more information, query on "Unrecognized Database Format" in the MSDN Library that is supplied with Visual Basic.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:12/12/2005
Keywords:kbCtrl kbJET kbprb kbtophit kbpubtypekc kbmsccsearch KB238401 kbAudDeveloper
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