Can’t copy MDB file

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I have a program that I am sure uses VB or Access. I don’t know why but I can no longer make a backup to use in my desktop for the laptop. I have tried everything from changing security settings to renaming file extensions to zipping the files and all it does when restored is give you old data.
There are no passwords to get into the database so I don’t know what else to try.
Hope someone can give me a simple answer.
Thanks,
Richard

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Hi,

Welcome to the Lounge.

I suggest that you use a tool such as Sysinternal’s Process Monitor and then add a filter for process name, using your program’s name. You can also add a filter for path ending with .mdb or .accdb. Like that you can see what files are accessed by the program and find out why your data is not being updated.

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I do not understand how the Process Monitor works.

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I do not understand how the Process Monitor works.

Did you execute it?

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Yes, but I guess I don’t know what I am looking for.

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It is quite likely you have a frontend and a backend database. You are just making a backup of the frontend (which is essentially the program, not the data). Look at your tables in the database window. If there is an arrow in front of a table, it indicates it is a linked table and actually resides in another database. Use the Linked Table Manage to determine how the tables are linked.

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Since I am trying to open this with an application and not Access or VB how can I get to the table manager? This is a stand alone program and all it is supposed to open is the program I am working with. I have emailed the folks who wrote the program and they don’t seem to understand.
Thanks

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Start Process Monitor. It will look something like this:
30127-ProcMon1

Click the diamond icon (if you hover it, it will display filter) and you get something like this:

30128-ProcMon2

Now add a filter. If you are looking for a .mdb file, this is what you need to add

30129-ProcMon3

For the left dropdown choose Path, then ends with then add .mdb and then at the right, then Include, as the picture shows.
Click the Add button, then the Apply button and the window will show you the filtered list:

30130-ProcMon4

You can click the Ok button and have a look to see if you find the .mdb in question, or just try adding another condition to the filter. If you know the program’s name, you can try to add a line for that too. Options can be:

Process name, from the first dropdown, begins with, add the name of the program and then choose Include at the far right dropdown. Click the Add button, then the Apply button and then OK.

At any time you can bring the filter window back on and click one the lines and then click the Remove button, to remove it, and then add a new line, to look for a different extension (.accdb) or a different process name.

HTH

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Okay, I filtered it out. Now how do I find my problem? How can I tell what to do? Is there a way to see if it is pointing to the “old data” or a “ghost database”. It does not matter if I delete every .mdb file on this computer, when I copy the backup to this computer it still gives me old data. I guess I need some kind of tutorial.
Thanks for your help.

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I think you need to find out what database the app is using. Be sure of that. Maybe even rename it and check what happens. Once you find that out, decide on a course of action.

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Okay, the process monitor will tell me what database is being used. But, that is actually no help. What I need to know is how to copy the mdb file and keep the old data. I am sure that there is something keeping the old database intact, even though I am deleting it. I can delete the database from my desktop, empty the recycle bin, clean the hard drive, go copy and paste the old data (it does not matter if I email it, transfer it over the network, put it on a memory stick or whatever, I still get old data.

So, I am assuming the problem lies with how the laptop is copying the database.

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Okay, the process monitor will tell me what database is being used. But, that is actually no help. What I need to know is how to copy the mdb file and keep the old data. I am sure that there is something keeping the old database intact, even though I am deleting it. I can delete the database from my desktop, empty the recycle bin, clean the hard drive, go copy and paste the old data (it does not matter if I email it, transfer it over the network, put it on a memory stick or whatever, I still get old data.

So, I am assuming the problem lies with how the laptop is copying the database.

If you are sure you have found the database file actually used, I fail to see how old data could be used. Probably you should do that in both computers, and make sure you replace all involved files. Unless the app caches data somewhere, which the programmers should be able to tell you, but would be very weird to cache a lot of data outside the database.

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This is driving me up the wall. It does not matter what you do. You can put the file on a cd, memory stick, just copy the file outside of the program files (x86) and when you open the file the data is several weeks old. I am afraid to mess with the original file. This happen once before and I tried to rename it and I had to reenter several days worth of work. The registry has to have some kind of code that is pointing to a database in virtual memory. I have went into the director and deleted what was in the VirtualStore, deleted all unnecessary files in the application. I just have not changed the database. If I open it with the original file everything is there. If I make a copy, no matter how, everything is weeks old. I hope someone can help. It is not urgent, but I have to have a reliable backup.

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I installed the software on another computer with a fresh install that has never had the application on it before and when I copied and pasted the mdb it’s data was two month old. Just cannot figure out what is going on.

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Maybe you are backing up an older version of the data.

I’d suggest you try and locate the mdb data file that your VB6 application is connected to.

You could do this by closing everything else, then opening your VB6 application and going to a record currently existing in your data. This should open the connection to your mdb and the ldb locking file should be created. (Whenever you open an mdb which is read/write an ldb file is created eg if your data file is XXX.mdb, a file XXX.ldb is created in the same folder).

I would search for this ldb file and backup the corresponding mdb.

Hope that is of assistance.

Cronk

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An MDB file is a MS Access file so you need to run Access and then open it from within Access. If you copy the MDB files from one computer to another Access will be looking in the wrong place for the file. While I used Access all the time when I was working since I’ve retired I haven’t used it and don’t have it on my computer anymore so I can’t tell you where you set that option. It may be in an options or settings menu or the table manager which someone else mentioned. I used to do that all the time. Sorry I can’t be more explicit.

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If you copy the MDB files from one computer to another Access will be looking in the wrong place for the file.

On any computer with Access, double clicking the copied file will open it with Access automatically.

I can’t tell you where you set that option.

It is not clear what option you are referring to.

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I received the following from the Vendor today:

To answer your question, OutReach is written in Visual Basic 6; it uses an Access database to store the data.

I’m sure you probably have checked and re-checked every detail, but today when I was testing, trying to re-create your issue, I had to pay close attention to which MDB I needed to copy/paste/open and where it was located on each computer. So I want to make sure that when you copy and paste your database in Windows and open and close it in OutReach, you are making certain that you’re selecting the one you want. I’m sure you are, but I mention it just because that’s one of those details that can sometime trip ME up.

If the folks that are trying to help you have any specific suggestions about where they think the error might be, please pass that on and we’ll take a look.

Hope someone can help.

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I don’t know what is going on. The only possible explanation I can think of is that the mdb file you are copying is not the right one.
To test this, try renaming that file on the machine with the software installed. When you next run the software it should complain (or at least not work) beacause it can’t find the mdb file it wants.
If it works Ok then clearly it is using a different file.

After you have used the software do a search for files modified Today and see what is turns up.

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Here is my problem. The Vendor (developer) told me to do that last time this happened and I lost everything I had done for two weeks. Right now with the last backup that I have that works, although I have backed up each day, I will lose everything since 12/27/11.

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I know also that it is the right file because I close it in the program/application before I do a backup and when I open it again it show you the folder where it resides in order to open it.

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Just to let everyone know that has tried to help. It will be a few days before I will be responding. What I suspected has happened. It copying the file so many times trying to make a true backup. It somehow overwrote the only good copy. So, now my earliest data dates 12/27/2011. I will have to try to recreate the data from my paper work. Some of my notes and memories of the clients are lost forever. I will post a follow up later. Thanks for trying.

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Thanks but I have already lost the file. It had to overwrite an old backup. I was told by the Vendor/developer today that my opening it in Access may have been my problem all along. They said that Access if I changed anything on purpose or by accident that it could “lock” the database with that date. They wrote the application in Visual Basic 6, not Access. Anyway thanks for trying.

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I have found the problem and I am probably the culprit. I opened this database in Dec. with Access. I did not think that I changed anything. The vendor says when you try to change anything in access it will mess the application up, or at least the data. I hope someone can help.
My wife and myself worked 13 hours yesterday putting the data back in.
After putting some data in, I moved it to another computer to see if it would transfer. It did. Problem solved, right? No! I tried to move the data back to the laptop this morning and what I did yesterday on the laptop is all that is there.
Here is the problem. Cronk on Windowssecrets forum told me to look for a file being created with the extension .ldb. It seems Access creates this file when you open an mdb to prevent changes. It locks the file. So, somewhere on my laptop I have got to fix something to prevent this from happening.
Hope someone knows how. I do not use Access. I just opened the file to look at the structure.
Thanks

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Cronk was right! But, I still need help. I will post details, as best I can. I have to go to the mission today without the data and will look at the forums that I have posted on when I get home. We have on internet at our mission.
Thanks

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You can’t stop the creation of ldb files. They will always be created when you use the mdb, either via Access or your VB application.
Databases are designed for multiple users. In this situation you can’t have two people changing the same piece of information at the same time. So when someone starts to edit some data, the database needs to keep track of what parts of the database need to be locked.
when the edit is finished the lock is released. When the database is closed, the ldb is deleted.
The ldb is not the problem.
Cronk’s point was that an ldb is a good guide to what mdb data file is atually being used by the application.

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What I need is for someone to tell me what I am doing wrong. If I go to the folder where the mdb file is located, and it has been closed in the application and application has been shut down, I copy that file from the only folder that it resides in, how can I be copying any other file. All I am trying to do is move it from one computer to another. But, when I paste it into the folder of the other computer only “old data” is present. It is like there is a copy of what I used last on that specific computer that has been frozen in time.

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What I need is for someone to tell me what I am doing wrong.

You don’t seem to be doing anything wrong.

In an earlier post you describe the software as Outreach. Is this it?
If it is I will have a look at their free trial and see what I can work out.

30193-outreach

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John, yes it is. And I have closed everything on each computer. Cleaned up the hard drives re installed and loaded the backup from the desktop and everything seems to be working now. I just pray I find out what I did that created this nightmare. I am sure it had something to do with me opening the mdb file in Access back in Dec. I did not think I changed anything. I was just looking at the structure. I don’t want to loose any data that we have for statistics for the last three years. I am trying to put together a database in Alpha 5 because this one will not let you export data. We need that desperately in order to apply for grants.

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I have installed the application and done a little bit of testing.

The program use an mdb data file, and by default this is called Outreach. At the foot of the main screen it display the name and path of the data file being used. The screen shot below displays the default location.

30195-outreach1

When I run the application I do see an ldb file created in that location. The Date Last Modified is updated when I modify any data through the application.

30196-outreach2

When I close the application and open the mdb via Access I do see the data I have just entered via the application. I can change the data in Access, then see the changes in the application.

I can make a copy of the mdb and move it to another location and see all the data, either via Acces or the application.

This is not much help to you. It tells you that my copy is doing what you want your copy to do.

My only conclusion is that you have created so many copies of the mdb file that you are getting confused about what one to use when.

[*]If you open the mdb in Access and don’t see the data you have just entered via the application, then the data file you open in Access is not the same one you were using.
[*]If you the open the mdb in Access and do see the data you have just entered via the application, but not older data, then you were using the wrong data file when you last used the application.

If you exit the application without closing the data file, it automatically reopens the same data file next time. That seems like a good safety feature to me, once you have really determined what is the correct data file.

I acknowledge that I have only entered a little bit of test data, but I can’t think of any other explanation for what is happening to you.

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Thanks John.

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