Error in Visual Basic Editor closes Access

[combs]

I am using Win XP and MS Access 2000.

I have been developing Access databases for several years on this machine with no problems. The latest db that I'm working on is growing large, (5,376 KB Empty), it's probably the biggest database that I've been involved with to date.

Everything has gone great - until today. For whatever reason, when I'm in the Visual Basic Editor and I click on the print or save button in the toolbar, it causes Access to completely shut down. The error reporting interface for Microsoft come up and when that is done, Access is completely closed down and put away. None of my changes are being saved - it's very frustrating....

Has anyone ever heard of a situation like this??!!

Any help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

 

[payback]

I have also had this issue once or twice (but not recently). Have you tried to create a new blank database and import all of the objects from your "corrupted" database into this?

It is not a size issue - I have a front end database that is over 40Mb linked to a 500Mb backend (not the one with the problem through).

 

[combs]

payback,

I tried creating a new blank database and importing all the object from the "corrupted" database...

At first I noticed that the new database was about half the size of the old one and I thought - good, it's gotten rid of a lot of things that it didn't need ( kind of like a compact and repair ). However, when I started opening up my forms, I noticed that none of the button were working.... I went into the Visual Basic editor and saw that none of the Visual Basic information had been imported. When I tried to access import through the Visual Basic menu - guess what happened?? Crash, error reporting - Access closes....

Still working on this issue....

 

[RoyVidar]

Ouch - Access 2000 has some ugly bugs relating to copying objects with code, which is supposed to have been fixed with later SP's, see for instance You receive an error message when you try to view the code in a module, compile a database, create an MDE file or execute code in Access 2000. This link has some suggestions.

Else, I've been fortunate enough to resolve most of my corruption issues thru the /decompile option. See for instance Decompile or how to reduce Microsoft Access MDB/MDE size and decrease start-up times for a step by stet instruction.

Here's another thing that might help in copying at least some of the damaged objects thread705-834817, or you'll have to use your latest backup, you have some recent ones, don't you...

Roy-Vidar

 

[payback]

Just another idea - are all the service packs installed for Office/Access 2000 (3 I think)?

Also another idea (not quite the same as the first), create a new blank database and export from the old to the new. Unfortunately I think you can do only one object at a time but if it helps a recovery it would be worth the try. I would think that if a crash was going to happen it would do so on the first object with code anyway.

 

[combs]

I do have recent backups of the database in question - however I have noticed that it doesn't matter which database I'm in - the problem seems to happen whenever I open the Visual Basic editor. It opens fine, but when I try to save, print, import, export or whatever it chokes and quits.

This makes me think that somehow a part of Access or the Visual Basic editor itself has been corrupted.

I do have the most current service pack (3) installed...

I'm at the point now where I'm thinking about wiping my hard drive and re-installing everything. A big job, but it may prove faster to getting going again versus trying to track down what is wrong.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?? I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what I could have done that could have caused this....

As always, I would appreciate any help/suggestions you may be able to offer...

 

[RoyVidar]

1 - take one (or a couple) of your db's to another PC and see if it runs
2 - try the Detect and Repair thingie in the Help menu too, prior to reinstall

- just to save you lot of work if...

It does seem that it could be something with the install, but how sure are you that there isn't corruption in your backups and/or how far back it's going...

Roy-Vidar

 

[combs]

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UPDATE *****
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I have found a solution!!!

Instead of re-installing everything, I first tried to just re-install Office 2000. When I would ask it to re-install itself, the process would nearly complete but then give an error message near the end about not being able to update/change the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VBA\VBA6\VBE6.DLL" file for some reason. The re-install process would then roll back and quit with an error. I did a search on this VBE6.DLL and came across a web page that said to unregister it (regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VBA\VBA6\VBE6.DLL") then rename the VBE6.DLL to something like VBE6.OLD.

After doing this I gave the re-install process another try and it completed without error. After a restart, I tried getting in the Visual Basic editor and everything seems to be working now.

What caused this error? I'm not sure, but one idea that comes to mind is that I have this PC set on automatic updates (like they want us to do at work - for good or bad) and that an update that was geared more towards Office 2003 was automatically installed and had some ill side effects.... Does that sound totally crazy??

Whatever, after a completely wasted and panic-filled day, I'm [seemingly] back in operation. I hope that these directions may save somebody the same frustration...