Access Database Error

Question

Hi there,

We have an Access database .mdb file that I believe was created in Access 97.

We are now receiving 'Cannot open a database created with a previous version of your application' when trying to open this in the latest Access version.

We have tried 2013 runtime and we have tried to import and compress the data but this does not work.

It has been suggested that we need the full version of Access 97, 2007 or 2010. Is this the only way? If so, how do we get these versions nowadays?

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Hi Josh,

Nowadays, if you cannot find an old version of Access, which is probably possible but a little hard to do now, the next best thing is to maybe contact a person who has a copy of the old versions and is willing to make the upgrade/conversion for you either for free or for fee. If you are interested in this, there are a few people I could recommend.

Answer 2

To resolve the issue of opening an Access 97 database in newer versions of Access, you will need to convert the database to a more recent format. Unfortunately, Access 2013 and later versions cannot directly convert Access 97 files. Here’s a workaround:

1. Use a pre-Access 2013 version of Access (such as Access 2003) to open the Access 97 database.
2. Once opened, save the database in the Access 2002-2003 file format (.mdb).
3. After saving, you can then open this new file in Access 2013 or later.

If you do not have access to an older version of Access, you may need to find a copy of Access 2003 or another compatible version to perform the conversion. These older versions may be available through various software resellers or online marketplaces, but ensure that you are obtaining software from legitimate sources.

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References:

• "Cannot Open a database created with a previous version of your application" in Access 2013 and Access 2016