ACC2: Running Microsoft Access Version 2.0 with Windows 95

ID: Q136125

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access 2.0
Microsoft Access Developer's Toolkit, version 2.0

SUMMARY

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

You can successfully install and run Microsoft Access version 2.0 on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95. However, you should be aware of the following topics when you develop Microsoft Access version 2.0 applications in Windows 95:

Using Custom Controls

Using the ADT Setup Wizard

Loading VSHARE.386

Using the Merge It and Analyze It with Microsoft Excel toolbar buttons

MORE INFORMATION

Using Custom Controls

Be aware of the following two issues when you use OLE custom controls in Microsoft Access 2.0 in Windows 95:

You may receive a general protection fault error message when you insert the Calendar, Scroll Bar, or Data Outline custom control into a form in Design view, and then switch to Form view.

This problem no longer occurs with the updated custom controls, which are available in the Microsoft Access Developer's Toolkit (ADT) Custom Controls Service Pack. For information about how to obtain the Service Pack, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q133341 ACC2: WX1200: Microsoft ADT Custom Controls Service Pack

If you add a custom control to a form and convert the control to a picture (using the Change to Picture command on the control's Shortcut menu) in Windows 95, the picture may appear blank when you view the same form in Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.x.

This problem occurs with the custom controls included with the ADT version 2.0 and the ADT Custom Controls Service Pack. If you insert the custom control while running Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.x, the control displays data properly in Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and Windows for Workgroups 3.x.

Using the ADT Setup Wizard

If you use the ADT in Windows 95 to create a custom Setup program for your application, you may receive error messages if you try to install your application on a computer running Windows 3.1.

For more information about creating ADT applications with Windows 95, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q130399 ADT2: ADT Apps from Win 95 Cause Err in Win 3.1 and WFW 3.11

Loading VSHARE.386

If you use the ADT Setup Wizard to create installation disks on a computer running Windows 95, you may receive the following error message:

Can't find file 'C:\NT\SYSTEM\VSHARE.386'

The VSHARE.386 file is a file-locking management file that is included in Microsoft Access version 2.0. The ADT Setup Wizard requires that the VSHARE.386 file be included on your application's custom Setup disks in order for your run-time application to work on a computer running Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.1 or 3.11. However, because Windows 95 provides its own form of file locking, Microsoft Access Setup does not install the VSHARE.386 file on computers running this operating system.

For more information about loading the VSHARE.386 file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q121782 ADT2: Setup Wizard Cannot Find VSHARE.386 with NT

Using the Merge It and Analyze It with Microsoft Excel Toolbar Buttons

If you installed Microsoft Word for Windows 95, the Merge It toolbar button in Microsoft Access version 2.0 may generate the following error message:

Can't start object application.

If you have Microsoft Excel 5.0 or Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 installed on your computer, the Analyze It with Microsoft Excel toolbar button may generate the same "Can't start object application" message.

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods to accomplish the same tasks that the Merge It and Analyze It with Microsoft Excel toolbar buttons accomplish:

Use the Output To command to output data and start the application. To do so, follow these steps:
1. On the File menu, click Output To.
2. Select Microsoft Excel (.xls) or Rich Text Format (*.rtf) and click OK.
3. In the Output To box, specify a file name and location, and then click the Auto Start button. Click OK.

Create a macro that selects the table in the Database window, and then sends keystrokes to select the Autostart check box in the Output to FileOpen dialog box:


      Macro Name       Actions
      -----------------------------
      Macro1           SelectObject
                       SendKeys
                       DoMenuItem

      Macro1 Actions
      -------------------------------------------
      SelectObject
         Object Type: Table
         Object Name: Shippers
         In Database Window: Yes
      SendKeys
         Keystrokes: "{enter}{tab 8}"" ""{enter}"
         Wait: No
      DoMenuItem Action
      -----------------------
      Menu Bar: Form
      Menu Name: File
      Menu Command: Output To

Create a custom function that selects the table in the Database window, and then sends keystrokes to select the Autostart check box in the Output to FileOpen dialog box, for example:


      DoCmd SelectObject q_table, "Shippers", True   ' Select table.

      SendKeys "{enter}{tab 8}"" ""{enter}", False   ' Send keystrokes.

      DoCmd DoMenuItem 1, a_file, 5, , a_menu_ver20  ' Select Output To.

For more information about the Output To command search for "Output," and then "Output To" using the Microsoft Access Help menu.

For more information about the Sendkeys action, search for [ASCII 147]sendkeys[ASCII 148] and then [ASCII 147]Sendkeys Action[ASCII 148] using the Microsoft Access Help Index.

Additional query words: win95


Keywords          : kbenv 
Version           : 2.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: April 19, 1999