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Access Bug Alert! By Richard Rost 
4 years ago
Cannot Open Any More Databases. Access Won't Close. Another bug has been found in Microsoft Access. If you're having any of the following problems then this video may apply to you:
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Keywordsmicrosoft access, ms access, ms access tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, #fasttips, cannot open any more databases, can't open any more tables, already in use by admin, msaccess.exe won't exit, lock file, laccdb
IntroIn this video, we'll talk about a recent bug affecting Microsoft Access, including recurring issues like file copy failures, the "cannot open any more databases" error, and Access not shutting down properly. I'll share troubleshooting steps I used, such as switching to the FSO Copy File command and adjusting trusted locations and subfolders, as well as tips for both front end and back end databases. We'll also discuss the current status of a fix from Microsoft and what you can do in the meantime if you rely on Access for mission critical tasks.TranscriptWelcome to another Bug Alert brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor Richard Rost.Today's bug is one that I've been pulling my hair out over for three days now. It started a couple days ago when I couldn't copy files. I use a file copy command a lot in my databases, especially my Access update or post updates to my server, and it started giving me issues. I found a workaround for that. Instead of using the basic file copy command, I switched over to the FSO Copy File command, and that seemed to fix the problem. But now, today, I'm getting this "cannot open any more databases" error with code that I haven't changed in a long time, with forms that I haven't modified in a long time, and it just starts happening randomly. One thing that I noticed is Access isn't shutting down properly. If you close the Access application, it looks like the window shuts down. But if you go to your Task Manager, MSACCESS.exe is still running in the background, and it should disappear - it should close down. There is MSACCESS running right now because I have a database open. Let me go and close it. Okay, it's closed and now it disappears from the open apps, but if you scroll down, you'll see that it will be listed down here under background processes even though I've shut it down. There is my database right there. You'll also see it under MSACCESS.exe. I think one of the things that I put a fix in place for this morning, so I think that I got it working. Let me share with you some of the other problems. I'm getting the MSACCESS.exe doesn't exit properly. I'm also getting the "cannot open any more databases" error. In my research from what I've seen online, people are also saying "can't open any more tables," "it's already in use by the admin," and of course file copy commands fail. Unfortunately, this bug is only a couple days old, so there is no fix available yet. Microsoft usually posts a fix as soon as they can, and all you have to do is run an Office update, but as of right now, there is no fix available. If this is a mission critical database and things aren't working for you, you'll have to revert to a previous version of Office. There are instructions on Microsoft's website. I'll put a link down below. However, I did read online that some people had success doing this, and this is what I tried on my machine this morning. The problem seems to have gone away. Make sure your databases are in a trusted location - a trusted folder. I show how to do that in my Access Level 1 Beginner class, my free class, and I'll show you in just a second how to do that. Make sure your subfolders are also marked safe. That's important, even if you're not using them. Make sure that any subfolders in the trusted location are also marked safe. You have to make sure you do this for both the front end and back end databases, because a lot of times people don't put their back end database - like if it's on a server or something - in a trusted location as well. To make a trusted location, go to File, go to Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, Trusted Locations. Here's mine. My front end sits in C:\\database. I've got my desktop as a trusted location too for anything I'm working on, like for videos or something. My Google Drive also - which, don't run a database out of your Google Drive if you're sharing it on a network, that's bad, that's very bad. Don't do that. Here is where my back end files are on my server, server\\database. Make sure "Allow trusted locations on my network" is turned on. It says not recommended. That's if you don't know what you're doing. Click on Modify over here or Add new location if you have to add it new, and make sure "Subfolders of this location are also trusted." That's important. Since doing this (I'm going to knock on wood) - since doing that, because I didn't have subfolders marked as trusted locations for both of those, because I don't use them - my database is sitting in those primary folders and that's it. Since doing that, I have not seen the error, and it's been a couple hours now. So I think that fixed it for me. But of course, wait for Microsoft's update. I'm also going to post two threads down below on Microsoft's website for different conversations that some of the other MVPs and customers are posting, so you can check up on it yourself. I will try to remember to post another video update as soon as a fix is released from Microsoft. I hope this helps and thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. QuizQ1. What initial problem did Richard Rost encounter that led to his bug investigation?A. He could not open Access forms. B. He could not copy files using his usual file copy command. C. He could not run update queries. D. He could not print reports from Access. Q2. What workaround did Richard use when the basic file copy command stopped working? A. Switched to VBA Shell B. Used PowerShell scripts C. Switched to the FSO (FileSystemObject) Copy File command D. Used Access Macros Q3. What critical error message did Richard start receiving with his Access applications? A. Cannot connect to the database server B. Cannot find the specified file C. Cannot open any more databases D. Cannot compile VBA project Q4. What symptom indicated to Richard that Access was not shutting down properly? A. Forms were reopening automatically B. MSACCESS.exe remained running in the Task Manager even after closing Access C. Error logs were not being generated D. Windows required a restart after closing Access Q5. Aside from not being able to open more databases, what other related issues did Richard find or read about? A. Access databases switching to read-only B. "Cannot open any more tables" and "file copy commands fail" C. Access losing all custom formatting D. Linked tables not refreshing automatically Q6. What solution did Richard find to fix the bug on his computer? A. Disabling all VBA code B. Marking database folders and subfolders as trusted locations C. Reinstalling Microsoft Access D. Backing up and restoring the database file Q7. When setting up trusted locations, what important step should NOT be overlooked? A. Only mark the desktop as trusted B. Make sure subfolders are also marked as trusted C. Only trust the front end database D. Ignore the Trust Center Q8. What did Richard advise against when working with Access databases on the network? A. Running databases from your Google Drive if sharing on a network B. Assigning multiple users to the same front end C. Compressing databases daily D. Using password protection on all databases Q9. If the database is mission critical and the bug is causing issues, what did Richard recommend as a temporary solution? A. Contacting Microsoft support immediately B. Reverting to a previous version of Office as per Microsoft's instructions C. Deleting all temporary Access files D. Rebooting the computer frequently Q10. Where can you adjust or add trusted locations in Access? A. Through Windows Registry Editor B. In Access via File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations C. In File Explorer by right-clicking the folder D. Using the Access Navigation Pane Answers: 1-B; 2-C; 3-C; 4-B; 5-B; 6-B; 7-B; 8-A; 9-B; 10-B DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks. SummaryToday's video from Access Learning Zone covers a frustrating bug that I have been dealing with in Microsoft Access for several days. This issue started when I noticed that I could not copy files the way I normally do in my databases. I rely on file copy commands for important tasks, such as updating and posting files to my server. Suddenly, these commands started failing.To get around that initial problem, I switched from the standard file copy approach to using the File System Object (FSO) Copy File command, which resolved things temporarily. However, another problem soon appeared. I started receiving the "cannot open any more databases" error, despite not having made any recent changes to the code or forms in question. These errors began appearing randomly and, as you can imagine, that made the issue even harder to fix. One odd behavior I noticed was that Access was not shutting down properly. After closing Access, the window would disappear, but if I checked the Task Manager, the MSACCESS.exe process would still be running in the background. Normally, after closing the application, this process should terminate completely. Even though the database appears to close, MSACCESS.exe and the associated process can be found listed under background processes. To try to address these issues, I worked on a potential fix this morning, and it seems to have helped so far. The main problems I was encountering included MSACCESS.exe not closing correctly, the "cannot open any more databases" error, file copy failures, and various errors seen by others such as "can't open any more tables" or "already in use by the admin." Unfortunately, since this bug is so recent, Microsoft has not yet released a fix. Once an update is available, installing the latest Office update should resolve the problem. However, as of now, there is no official solution. If you are using a mission critical database and encounter these errors, the best option may be to roll back to a previous version of Office. Microsoft has outlined instructions on their website explaining how to do this, and I have provided a link below for your convenience. I also discovered some advice online that appears to have worked in my case. I recommend ensuring that all of your databases are located in trusted folders. This includes both the front end and the back end database files. Even if you do not use the subfolders, make sure any subfolders within your trusted locations are also marked as safe. This is particularly important if your back end database is stored on a server. To set up a trusted location, open Access and go to File, then Options. From there, navigate to the Trust Center and open Trust Center Settings, then Trusted Locations. In my own setup, my front end database resides in a dedicated folder, while I have other locations like my desktop and Google Drive (though running a shared database out of Google Drive is strongly discouraged). My back end is on a server in its own folder. Be sure that "Allow trusted locations on my network" is enabled, even though Microsoft marks this as not recommended if you are unfamiliar with network security. When adding or modifying a trusted location, make sure to check the option to trust all subfolders. This detail was missing in my initial setup, and once I corrected it for both front and back end folders, the error stopped occurring. So far, the issue has not returned in several hours. For now, keep an eye out for updates from Microsoft. I have also provided links below to discussion threads on Microsoft's site where you can see more about how others are approaching this situation. Once Microsoft releases an official fix, I will update you in another video. For a complete video tutorial that walks you through all of these steps in detail, visit my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends. Topic ListTroubleshooting MS Access "cannot open any more databases" errorSymptoms of MSACCESS.exe not closing properly Using Task Manager to identify background MSACCESS processes Switching file copy commands to FSO CopyFile as a workaround Setting up trusted locations in Access Enabling trust for subfolders in trusted locations Configuring trust settings for both front end and back end databases Steps to add and modify Access trusted locations Importance of "Allow trusted locations on my network" setting |
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