Path/File Error

[dsajones]

Hi All. I'm hoping someone can help me with a very weird problem that's cropped up with one of my users.

I have an Access DB split in to a front end and a back end. They both live in the same folder on a network drive mapped with drive letter S: I have a user who is new to our department but has been in the company for a while who is receiving a Path/File error when loading a form in the front end database which is then followed by a runtime error 2467 - Referring to an object which is closed or doesn't exist.

The folder and file structure looks like this:

S:\Top Folder\Sub Folder\Front End Database.accdb
S:\Top Folder\Sub Folder\Back End Database.accdb

She has full access to that folder and can open both the front end and the back end databases independently. When she opens the back end database she can open any of the tables in there and view data. But if she opens the front end database and tries to open any of the linked tables in the back end database she gets an error. If she goes in to Linked Table Manager, all the tables are shown in there in the correct database and path.

For myself and other people in the same office everything is working fine. Does anyone have any idea at all what may be happening here?



Thanks in advance.
David

[ranman256]

Do not use drive letters to map.
ALWAYS use full UNC paths: \\server\folder\myDB.accdb

[CJ_London]

probably because everyone is using the same front end file on the server you have introduced corruption, not to mention slower performance.

Per MS recommendations, each user must have their own copy of the FE, not share it. Normally this would be on their local machine for performance reasons - if on the server the network is busy not just with the transfer of data but also all the forms/reports etc. With modern day network performance, not too big an issue, but an issue all the same.

Recommend you decompile the FE, then compact/repair then recompile.

Finally ensure each user has their own copy of the FE and move the FE from where you have it on the sever to prevent users continuing to use it

[dsajones]

Do not use drive letters to map.
ALWAYS use full UNC paths: \\server\folder\myDB.accdb

OK, I'll look at doing that. But we've been using drive letters for years on a couple of Access databases without any problem like this. I don't understand why this has become an issue for this one user.

[dsajones]

probably because everyone is using the same front end file on the server you have introduced corruption, not to mention slower performance.

Per MS recommendations, each user must have their own copy of the FE, not share it. Normally this would be on their local machine for performance reasons - if on the server the network is busy not just with the transfer of data but also all the forms/reports etc. With modern day network performance, not too big an issue, but an issue all the same.

Recommend you decompile the FE, then compact/repair then recompile.

Finally ensure each user has their own copy of the FE and move the FE from where you have it on the sever to prevent users continuing to use it

Hi, thanks for the reply. I would normally use a personal copy of the front end for each user but this particular application is usually only used by one, or at most two, people simultaneously and everyone else can load it fine. But I will carry out the maintenance as suggested and then give her a local copy to see if it solves the problem.

[moke123]

I would normally use a personal copy of the front end for each user but this particular application is usually only used by one, or at most two, people simultaneously and everyone else can load it fine.

It only takes a split second to corrupt a database beyond repair. You've been lucky, so far.

Each user should have a local copy of the front end. This cant be stressed enough.

[dsajones]

OK, noted. Thanks.

[dsajones]

I've created a new version of the front end using a UNC path instead of the drive letter mapping and this appears to be working for her now. The other user who's in at the moment is still using the version with the drive letter and that's also working fine. It would be great to know why this has suddenly become a problem as we've been using drive letters for years and have never come across this problem.

Many thanks for you help

[dsajones]

I've created a new version of the front end using a UNC path instead of the drive letter mapping and this appears to be working for her now. The other user who's in at the moment is still using the version with the drive letter and that's also working fine. It would be great to know why this has suddenly become a problem as we've been using drive letters for years and have never come across this problem.

Many thanks for you help

[Welshgasman]

I would have been tempted to just give her her own copy and see if that worked.
Whilst I would also use UNC path, in case of different drive assignments, if your firm is locked down, so that users cannot change/assign drive letters, then that would not be an issue?

[CJ_London]

It would be great to know why this has suddenly become a problem

As I said, probably corruption, your setup made this almost certain to occur at some point - the fact it impacted your file paths is irrelevant, it would have impacted somewhere. If you had been using UNC you would probably have had the same issue.

Corruption can be insidious, small issue here, small issue there. Open/close and/or compact/repair seems to fix the issue, but the corruption is probably still there and will grow until suddenly you've lost the lot.