How to Repair Corrupt Access Database File MDB / ACCDB | Stepwise Tutorial

Microsoft Access is a widely known database management system. User can create tables, queries, macros, reports and a lot with that in the database of MS Access. MDB and ACCDB are Access data files and these are stored in the database of Jet Database Engine in Access.

Now, the trouble starts when the Access database starts getting corrupted. In the below article, I have drawn a brief analysis on: causes of Access database corruption, types of errors & how to repair corrupt Access files (MDB or ACCDB) in MS Access 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003 and below versions.

Why to Repair Corrupt Access Files - Corruption Causes 

There can be couple of reasons that cause corruption in Access database and that gets us into the need to repair corrupted Access database. Below are mentioned some causes that are responsible for malfunctioning in MS Access:

1. Virus/ Malware Infection: If an Access file is infected by Viruses, it can pass the infection to the whole database when it is opened.
2. Multi-user Access: Jet Database Engine plays a crucial part when sharing data with multiple users. Jet Engine synchronises read/write database using lock files(.ldb). Now, these lock files associate with Windows API and are responsible for synchronisation, relying upon the FTP. If data transfer is in bulk in the same network, it will make the jet communication slow, which leads to “suspect” mode & it is responsible for corruption.
3. Hardware failure: When MS Access crashes due to any reason, the jet database engine halts. Other than this, there can be bad sectors (on hard drive) which cause corruption in Access Database.
4. Plug-ins: If you have installed improperly designed plug-ins in MS Access, they may lead to corruption.
5. Shut-down improperly: If some task is being performed on the system and suddenly it shuts down, corruption may occur.
6. Differences in the MDB file format: When same database is shared by different users and it has different jet service packs, then the short variance in format of .mdb can cause corruption.
7. Bugs: Any presence of bugs themselves lead to corruption.

Types of Errors in MS Access

A user should be well aware with the types of error that can occur while performing any task on MS Access, so that he/she can avoid these errors without getting any hurdles and when there is any need to repair corrupt Access file, he/she can work smoothly on MS Access. There are various types of errors that show up when we are working on Access, which are listed below:

• ‘Unable to open database mydb.mdb’
• ‘Unrecognised database format’
• ‘Microsoft Access recognized corruption in file’
• ‘MDB is not a database’
• ‘Cannot open a form or report’
• ‘Error accessing file. Network connect may have been lost’

How to Avoid Access Database from Corruption

In order to avoid our Access database from corruption, we need to pay attention to some important tips and follow below mentioned suggestions:

1. Make a habit to check all networking accessories on a regular basis to avoid MS Access corruption.
2. Avoid access of multiple users or opt for split database method to reduce load on server.
3. Ignore third party plug-ins as much as possible.
4. Properly shut down Access applications.

What if MS Access Database Gets Corrupted?

No matter how much efforts you put to avoid corruption in your Access Database, sometimes, it gets corrupted anyway. In such situation, the solution is provided right here. Go through the guidance mentioned below to repair corrupt Access files and database.

Solution to Repair MDB Corruption in Access Database?

Steps to Fix MS Access Database Corruption with Access File Repair Software

1.Launch MDB Repair Tool.
2. Browse Access file to be repaired.

3. Press Recover button & you will see recovery process in progress bar.

4. Now hit on Export to save your recovered data.

5. You’ll see Export and Save option. Choose-
i) Only Schema or
ii) Schema & Data, as desired.

Conclusion

Microsoft Access, indeed gets corrupted sometimes. There is no need to get panicked. Just apply the above described methods to prevent and repair corrupt Access files for various errors like- ‘Unrecognised database format’, ‘Microsoft Access recognised corruption in file’, ‘MDB is not a database’ etc. and get rid of these errors without wasting any time. You can repair, recover and restore your Access database files with MDB Repair Tool in MS Access 2013, 2010, 2007 & all below versions.

How to Repair Corrupt Access Database File MDB / ACCDB | Stepwise Tutorial Clark Kent 4.5 of 5

Microsoft Access is a widely known database management system. User can create tables, queries, macros, reports and a lot with that in the d...