How to fix DAO Library failure

[Paolo F Cantoni]

My notebook computer has suddenly decided to barf...

I can't start up Access or Open an EA .EAP file.

EA reports a Fatal Error initializing DAO Library.

So I go to the Microsoft site to get the applicable MDAC installation.  However, when I try to install it, it says that the service pack I'm running (SP2) is later than the version I'm trying to install.  Is there any alternative to re-installing SP2?

Help....  

Paolo

[«Midnight»]

If you're trying to install MDAC and getting that error, I'd suggest trying to install MDAC version 2.8 SP1 or later (but I think this one is the latest at this time). This version is the version in XP SP2, so should be current.

If you've been using any of the Vista beta releases, you may be out of luck. I have no idea what to do in that case.

Note that the MDAC SDK is only version 2.8. Just install the kit itself, and don't update the SDK.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

If you're trying to install MDAC and getting that error, I'd suggest trying to install MDAC version 2.8 SP1 or later (but I think this one is the latest at this time). This version is the version in XP SP2, so should be current.

If you've been using any of the Vista beta releases, you may be out of luck. I have no idea what to do in that case.

Note that the MDAC SDK is only version 2.8. Just install the kit itself, and don't update the SDK.

Tried MDAC 2.8 SP1 (after a bit of a fiddle to get around XP SP2 interlock)  - That didn't help  

Re-installed XP SP2 - didn't help...  

Looks like a rebuild...

Thanx anyway,
Paolo

[thomaskilian]

Hi Paolo,
not that it will help you in the current situation, but if you're heavily inside MS guts you should consider running a VM. I have this cool MacBook with a CoreDuo that allows me to make backups of my Windoze. If I ever have hickups like your machine I simply use an old image.

[mikewhit]

Could be less hassle to try uninstall/reinstall of

• DAO (daylight come ...)
• Access
• EA
  

[«Midnight»]

And MS Office.

Still, this might not do it for you. WinXP and Win2K both had Jet drivers as part of the core package.

[«Midnight»]

There is another possibility...

In the last few days an open source DOS has finally reached version 1.0. Perhaps we should convince Sparx to support this platform (exclusively). We'd finally be able to bring the entire power of the computer to bear on our work.

The only downside - surely trivial to those of us who are diehard UML users - would be that all work with models, input and output, would be via XMI in Edlin. Hardly worth mentioning since you could kiss MDAC worries goodbye.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Thanx to all who responded,  I'm overseas and have been out of touch.  It's not MY notebook, just my Notebook, so I don't know its provenance.  All the restore points are too recent to not have the problem.

However, thanks for your suggestions.  I did try to re-install DAO, but because of the fact that the state is self inconsistent (DAO thinks it's already been installed and overriding that may have caused install problems).

Anyhow it's a good excuse to get IT to rebuild it for me....  

Paolo