Summary
Although Microsoft does not recommend it, you can install and use more than one version of Access on a single computer. This article discusses how to install and use Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer. This article also discusses some of the problems you may experience when you do this.
NOTE: For information about running Access 97 and earlier versions on the same computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q159333 ACC: Running Current and Earlier Access Versions Simultaneously
More Information
How you install Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer depends on whether one of the versions is already installed or whether neither is installed. The following installation instructions cover all scenarios:
Neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 Is Installed
Access 97 Is Already Installed
Access 2000 Is Already Installed
If you have already installed Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer and are having problems, see the Problems After Installing Access 97 and Access 2000 on the Same Computer section of this article.
Neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 Is Installed
If neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 is installed, install Access 97 first, and then install Access 2000. Because by default both versions of Access are installed in the same folder, you must perform a custom installation when you install Access 2000 so that Access 2000 does not overwrite Access 97.
1. Install Access 97 or Office 97. You can select either a Typical or a Custom installation.
2. Install Access 2000 or Office 2000, but you must select a Custom installation.
3. When prompted, change the installation location for Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder other than C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or the folder that you installed Access 97 or Office 97 into. For example, you can install Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office2K\
4. When prompted, select the option to keep the earlier versions of the Office programs on the computer. This is an all-or-nothing selection; you either keep all earlier versions of the Office programs, or you lose them all.
5. Complete the rest of the installation.
NOTE: The Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu will be overwritten by the Office 2000 shortcuts. If you want Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu, you must add them manually.
Access 97 Is Already Installed
If you already have Access 97 on the computer, and you want to add Access 2000, follow these steps:
1. Install Access 2000 or Office 2000. Be sure to select the Custom installation option.
2. When prompted, change the installation location for Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder other than C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or the folder that you installed Access 97 or Office 97 into. For example, you can install Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office2K\
3. When prompted, select the option to keep the earlier versions of the Office programs on the computer. This is an all-or-nothing choice; you either keep all earlier versions of the Office programs, or you lose them all.
4. Complete the rest of the installation.
NOTE: The Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu will be overwritten by the Office 2000 shortcuts. If you want Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu, you must add them manually.
Access 2000 Is Already Installed
If you already have Access 2000 on the computer, and you want to add Access 97, there are some additional steps you must follow.
When you try to install Access 97, you have to avoid the “Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine” error message caused by the presence of the Hatten font, which is installed by Access 2000 and Office 2000. Also, if the Access 97 installation finds a newer version of the Msaccess.exe file on the computer, it will not install the 97 version of the Msaccess.exe file.
1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. Find the Hatten.ttf file, and then rename it to Hatten.sav. You must do this to avoid the “Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine” error message when you start Access 97.
NOTE: You can find the Hatten.ttf file in the Fonts folder under the name, Haettenschweiler.
3. Find the existing version of the Msaccess.exe file, and then rename it to Msaccess.2k. Before you rename it, confirm that the version of the Msaccess.exe file is 9.0x by right-clicking the file, and then clicking Properties. Then click the Version tab
4. Install Access 97 or Office 97.
5. When prompted, click Change Directory to install Access 97 in a folder other than the folder in which Access 2000 is installed. For example, install the program in a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office97\.
6. After the installation is finished, find the Msaccess.2k file and rename it back to Msaccess.exe. Also, find the Hatten.sav file and rename it back to Hatten.ttf.
Problems After Installing Access 97 and Access 2000 on the Same Computer
If the procedures described in this article were not followed when the second version of Access was installed on the computer, you may have problems when you try to start Access. Following are descriptions of the error messages or problems that you may encounter, as well as the resolutions.
One error message you may receive is:
Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine.
To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type Hatten.ttf.
3. In the Look In box, type C:\Windows\Fonts or the path to the Fonts folder on your computer. If you are not sure of the font folder’s location, open Windows explorer and verify the directory where Windows is installed. Note: If you are on Windows NT 4.0, the path may be C:\WINNT\Fonts
4. Click Find Now to start the search.
5. Under Name, right-click the Hatten.ttf file, and on the menu that appears, click Rename.
6. Change the name of the file to Hatten.sav.
NOTE: You can find the Hatten.ttf file in the Fonts folder under the name, Haettenschweiler
7. Insert your Access 97 or Office 97 CD into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
8. Click Start, and then click Run.
9. Type the command to run the Microsoft Access Setup program and use the /y switch to reregister Access 97. For example, type:
D:\Setup.exe /y
10. In the Installation Maintenance Program dialog box, click Reinstall. The Setup program updates the system registry for Access. When Setup is finished, start Access.
NOTE: Following the steps in this procedure has the side effect of changing all the Start menu shortcuts to point back to the Office 97 programs. If you want to have the shortcuts point to the Office 2000 programs, run Office 2000 Setup in maintenance mode, and then click Repair. You can then select to repair the Start menu shortcuts.
Another error message you may receive is:
Can’t find the database you specified, or you didn’t specify a database at all.
Specify a valid database in the command line and include a path if necessary.
There are two main causes for this error:
You installed Access 97 on a computer that has the Small Business Customer Manager 2000 installed. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q235279 ACC2000: “Can’t Find the Database You Specified” Error When Starting Access 97 on Computer with Office 2000 Small Business Tools
You installed Access 2000 on a computer that already has both Access 97 (full version) and an Access 97 run-time application installed. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q235280 ACC2000: “Can’t Find the Database You Specified” Error When Starting Access 97 After Upgrade to Office 2000
You may also notice that one or both versions of Access are using the wrong workgroup information file. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q241230 ACC2000: Workgroup Information File Is Reset to Default System.mdw After Self-Registration
References
For additional information about running multiple versions of Office on the same computer, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q218861 OFF2000: Running Multiple Versions of Microsoft Office
If you get a “There is no license” error message when you start Microsoft Access, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q141373 ACC: There Is No License Error Message Starting Microsoft Access
First Published: |
Sep 7 1999 11:58AM |