Access crash on start-up

[pdanes]

I do hope you are keeping a record of all these changes!
At some point, perhaps you will upload something using an Access BE instead of SQL so that members have a chance to assist by looking at the file.
As it is, all anyone can do is keep making informed guesses...but by now, I think we're all out of ideas without anything to refer to

Otherwise, good luck. Hopefully you'll get there in the end by yourself.

Well, as I wrote earlier, converting this to use an Access BE would be a huge amount of work - far more than just making local copies of linked tables. I can't justify putting that much effort into something on only a vague chance that somebody might be able to spot something.

I was thinking that it might be some library references, but moving everything to a new database does not fix the problem, even when the library references are not updated. The import action does not copy those, so code dependent on those references will not run. When I made the new copy, I hacked out everything that needed external libraries until the code would compile, and the quitting on start-up problem appeared in the new copy. So it's something that gets copied across in the standard import of forms, tables, queries, etc.

This morning, it was crapping out in the splash screen, so I removed that. It's only a cosmetic item. Started it up, and got about ten clean starts out of it, which was making me hopeful, but then it started quitting again, and once again, it is quitting AFTER all VBA code has stopped executing, and the main form is idle, waiting for user action.

[pdanes]

Just tried removing ALL linked table references. Naturally, the DB does not work, but it least tries to start, before it runs into dead references. No luck - even with all that gone, it still randomly quits on start-up. Sometimes it it gets far enough to throw an error when hitting a dead reference, sometimes it just winks out, while doing seemingly nothing.

[pdanes]

Just tried removing ALL class modules, all references to class module variables, all forms that have anything to do with the class modules, the start-up macro, and all reports. Still quits. If this keeps up, I'm going to have an empty database that quits for no reason.

[pdanes]

Just removed all local tables. Still quits.

[Minty]

I'm wondering if something has broken your Access installation.

Do a repair on your office install, Reinstall the latest SQL Server driver ,then create a brand new clean database.
Only link your sql tables, nothing else. This should just work (obviously!).

Create a new DSN if you use one.

If it doesn't I would suggest something more fishy is causing you grief.

[pdanes]

I'm wondering if something has broken your Access installation.

Do a repair on your office install, Reinstall the latest SQL Server driver ,then create a brand new clean database.
Only link your sql tables, nothing else. This should just work (obviously!).

Create a new DSN if you use one.

If it doesn't I would suggest something more fishy is causing you grief.

This same problem happens on other machines, and does not happen in any other Access databases. However, all others are local only - this is the only one that communicates with the server. I suppose it could be the ODBC link that is causing grief. I tried installing an updated ODBC driver last week - no change.

All the linked tables open correctly, including those linked to views. I will try removing and recreating the DSN.

[pdanes]

I killed the DSN. The database looks for that in code, and creates a new one when the proper DSN is not found. It did that, and resumed randomly quitting.

I will now try a new database, and import only tables and views. That should work, because it works now - only when code starts running does the random quitting occur. But again, it is not a simple coding bug - it quits AFTER all code has stopped executing and the app is idle, waiting for user actions.

[pdanes]

Imported just tables and queries into a new database. That worked fine, as expected. Then imported all code modules. Also fine. Then imported ONLY the main form and its subform, and a few extra forms that are referenced directly in code, or are used during start-up. Removed or commented all code that makes reference to things not imported, and added the few library references that were absolutely necessary to make the main form load and run. Crash.

But since I now have a much less bulky app, I will try working backwards to see if removing something will make it cease quitting.

[Minty]

It sounds like you are making some progress, and perhaps the build it back slowly method will be more revealing than trying to remove chunks.
I hope you get to the bottom of it.

[pdanes]

I am now down to only two forms - main and its embedded subform. Removed all other forms, and all external library references except one to VBScript regular expressions - those are used in over a hundred places, and I'd rather not pick out all those by hand, unless I have some indication that the problem is there.

It still quits. Makes a certain amount of sense, I suppose - that form always opens. It is the centerpiece of the entire app, and I can't very well bypass it. It's only moderately complex - 260 controls, but I suppose it could be corrupt somehow, despite all the C&R, decompile and import operations. It has had a long life, with many hundreds of changes, possibly thousands.

I'd rather not try to re-create the entire thing by hand, but I can try manually copying all controls on it to a new form.

[pdanes]

Created a new form, copied everything into it, without code. Still quits. Completely removed the subform. Still quits.

Then started removing groups of controls from the main form, and after several sets removed, it finally seems to behave. Well over fifty starts in a row and not a single hiccup.

There are groups of toggle buttons, some fields with computed results and controls that graphically overlap in the last group I dusted. Don't know exactly what was the key, but I now have something definite to investigate. Next step is go back to an unbutchered version of the DB and see if I can make that behave by removing the same set of controls. If so, then slowly pick away until I find the exact villain.

[Minty]

Success of sorts.
Sounds like form or control corruption is at the crux of things.

[pdanes]

Success of sorts.
Sounds like form or control corruption is at the crux of things.

I'm not uncorking the champagne just yet, but it's the most promising development so far. But how such a thing is possible, and why it would have such random effects is beyond me. Not for the first time do I wish I could get my hands on the developers at MS.

[Minty]

I used to have a old active x treeview control used in a few forms, and it "randomly/regularly" used to just stop working, which would crash the DB as soon as that form was opened.
I eventually had a backup copy of the control on a spare form stored in the database, I simply deleted the duff one copy and pasted the backup back onto the form and it would remain fixed.

Sometimes it was fixed for 2-3 days, more often than not it would last 2-3 months.

I tried everything to prevent it from going sideways, and in the end swapped it out for a purely VBA treeview, which solved the issue, but it was mega frustrating.

[Cottonshirt]

that was a fascinating story. a lone hero battling multiple villains he can't see who strike at random with invisible weapons then disappear before our hero can respond. using a secretive communication method he enlists the help of multiple compadres who are handicapped by not being able to see what is going on, but offer aid and succour and send emergency supplies. our hero has one arm tied behind his back, then his eyes are covered in a film of glue, and his one remaining hand has two fingers stuck together but he refuses to surrender and fights valiantly on. the server is suspected of being in league with the evil one and is tortured but confesses nothing. forms are strip-searched, tables are banished to distant lands, magical code is written by secret elves to bring dead references back to life but nothing seems to work until suddenly, just as the fortress is about to be breached, a lone knight appears and banishes the evil warlord's buttons.

I can't wait until the film comes out?