ACC2000: "Can't Find the Database You Specified" Error When Starting Access 97 on Computer with Office 2000 Small Business Tools (235279)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Access 2000
  • Microsoft Access 97
This article was previously published under Q235279
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you start Microsoft Access, you may receive the following error message:
Can't find the database you specified, or you didn't specify a database at all.
Specify a valid database in the command line and include a path if necessary.

CAUSE

You have installed Microsoft Access 97, either as a stand-alone program or by using the Custom installation option from the Microsoft Office 97 Professional compact disc, into the default installation folder on a computer that already has the Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Customer Manager installed. The most common installation procedure that will cause this error is to install the Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Edition, and then to install the Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Tools.

RESOLUTION

Remove the installation of Access 97, and then re-install it to a folder other than the default folder. To do so, follow these steps.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  3. Select Microsoft Access 97 or Microsoft Office 97 Professional from the list of products, and then click Add/Remove.

    NOTE: If you are using Windows 2000, click Change/Remove.
  4. In the Maintenance Mode dialog box, click Remove All to remove Access 97.
  5. Search your hard disk for a file named hatten.ttf. If you find it, rename it to hatten.old.
  6. Rename the file Msaccess.exe to Msaccess.old. The Msaccess.exe file should be located in \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office.
  7. Install Access 97 to a new folder, for example, \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Access 97.

    Installations from the Office 97 Professional Compact Disc Only: Depending on the options that you select during a Custom installation, you may receive the following error during the reinstallation process:
    Bdrintl.dll was unable to register itself in the system registry.
    If this happens, quit the Setup program and do the following:WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

    1. On the Start menu, click Run.
    2. If you are using Windows 95 or Windows 98, type regedit. If you are using Windows NT or Windows 2000, type regedt32. Click OK.
    3. In Registry Editor, delete the following key:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSO97.dll

    4. Close the Registry Editor.
    5. Run the Office 97 Setup program again. For additional information about the Bdrintl.dll error during setup, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      162295 OFF97: Err Msg: "Bdrintl.dll Was Unable to Register Itself"

  8. Rename Msaccess.old to Msaccess.exe.
All of your applications should now work.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Office Small Business Customer Manager, which ships with the Small Business Tools, is based on a special type of Access 2000 run-time components. During the installation of the Small Business Tools, the Access 2000 run-time components are installed to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office folder. When you try to install Access 97 on the same computer, it will try to use the same default folder.

When Access 97 is installed, the Setup program checks for existing programs. When it finds the Access 2000 version of Msaccess.exe, it does not install the Access 97 version because newer versions of files are not overwritten during installation. By renaming the existing Access 2000 run-time components, and then installing Access 97 to a different folder, you can circumvent this file checking and have Access 97 successfully installed on the computer.

REFERENCES

The following article describes an issue that results in an error message:

235280 ACC2000: "Can't find the database you specified" Error When Starting Access 97 After Upgrade to Office 2000

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/1/2004
Keywords:kbMSCCSearch kbPubTypeKC kbbug kbnofix KB235279
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