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Corrupt Access Database
Recovery Freeware

Quick Links

• http://accesstools.narod.ru/repair.html - Serge Gavrilov's Access Database Repair Steps.

• http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/
  corruptmdbs.htm - Corrupt Microsoft Access MDBs FAQ.

• http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruption/
  corruptobjects.htm - To Retrieve your data from a Corrupt Microsoft Access MDB.

• http://www.ally.ru/downloads.phtml?id=1&page=1&lang=eng - "This software is meant to restore corrupted MS Access databases. After have been run, it attempts to extract all integral information. All the information that had escaped destruction, is stored inside a new database."

• http://www.accessdatabaserepair.com/
  jetcomp.htm - "The Jet compact utility, JETCOMP.exe, is a stand-alone utility that compacts databases created with Microsoft Jet database engine 3.x and 4.x. This utility may be run in conjunction with Microsoft Jet database engine 3.x and 4.x for recovering corrupted databases."

• http://www.division-by-zero.de/dbz/index.asp?main=/dbz/tools/fixit_ma... - MDB repair and compress. (note live link is dead - this is an Internet archive link).

• http://www.matpie.drw.net/PBSystems/
  products/retired/MDBDeco.html - "MDB Decompiler is a simple tool used to decompile a Microsoft Access mdb file (A97 or A2000). Typically, an Access database grows over time due to updates, deletes, and additions. With updates and deletes, data is discarded but not removed. Typically, a compact database operation will remove cleanup and remove this extraneous data."

• http://www.matpie.drw.net/PBSystems/
  products/retired/MDBRepair.html - "Microsoft Access databases can become corrupt to the point that a standard repair or compact will not fix the problem. MDB files this badly damaged can only be fixed with a compact-repair-compact cycle. Some MDB files may be even worse, to the point that they will continually re-corrupt unless you rebuild all objects by exporting them all into a blank database, finishing with another compact. MDB Repair Tool automates this repair process for you on otherwise unrecoverable MDB files." - Only Access 97.

• http://www.matpie.drw.net/PBSystems/
  products/retired/MDBTask.html - allows you to schedule mdb repair.

• http://accesstools.narod.ru/index.html - "This small utility is intended for decrypting databases created by MS Access 95/97/2000. This can be useful if the encrypted database has been damaged and can't be restored by authorized tools and it is necessary to get the contents of the database's file decrypted for further recovering."

• http://www.datapigtechnologies.com/
  freeware.htm - "Perform compact and repair on all your Access .mdb files, Create an index of all Tables and Fields in your databases, and Create an index of all Queries in your databases." Comment - Will not let you repair a file that Access can't repair because it seems to require Access (it opened it on my machine before appearing), but if you have a need to perform mass compact and repairs this is it.

• http://www.simtel.net/product.php%5Burl_fb_product_page%5D29904 - "MS Access 2.0: Repair & backup utility>"

• http://www.alexnolan.net/software/
  mdb_viewer_plus.htm - "MDB Viewer Plus is a freeware viewer plus an editor for Access MDB files. It requires no install to run provided that Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) is installed on your PC (In most versions of Windows this is the case). MDB View Plus has been written to provide a free and quick easy way to view, edit and search MDB files without having Microsoft Access installed. It is not a full database development solution but does allow you to view MDB files without an Access license." Viewers can sometimes open corrupt files.

• http://www.matsoftware.it/software/
  utility/mdb_view_en.php - "MDB View is a very useful software that allows you to view mdb files on system without Microsoft Access installed. All you need are the MDAC 2.1 components or higher ( that you can get for free on Microsoft download page )." Try opening a corrupt Access file in this viewer here.

• http://www.jansfreeware.com/
  jfdatabase.htm#myMDB - "myMDB is a client for Microsoft Jet Databases (*.mdb) and requires the free MDAC 2.1 components from Microsoft. Features: auto-form, form designer, html-reports with print preview, integral html-viewer, integral syntax highlighted SQL and HTML editor, integral SQL tutorial, execute SQL statements, sample JanSoft database." Another MDB viewer.

• http://www.trigeminal.com/lang/
  1033/utility.asp?ItemID=16#16 - Have you ever found yourself with a database that has a password on it, yet you never set one? You may be suffering from the problem in Q243895. Basically, opening an Access file in Word can hopelessly corrupt it. Well now, the simple utility TSI Word to the Wise prevents these files from being opened and saved in Word 2000.

• http://www.mvps.org/access/modules/
  mdl0061.htm - prevents Access files from being opened in Word, causing corruption.

• http://www.bullzip.com/products/a2m/info.php - try converting corrupt Access database to MySQL.

The number of freeware and free methods to try recover Access databases is large. They are sometimes labor intensive and often out of date.  If your not an expert, after trying everything expect about 20% success rate without commercial software.

More Detail

• Step by Step Access Recovery Procedures - good steps to try to recover you Access database.

• Actual Freeware Access Repair Tools - unlike Word, Excel and PowerPoint there are some contenders for real freeware corrupt file recovery tools when it comes to Access databases.  Sorry though, the results with them will be mixed :-(.

• Access Database Viewers - if a corrupt database opens in one of these viewers, there is a function allowing you to export tables as individual CSV files, thereby recovering your data.  If Access doesn't work, it's my opinion that these won't work either in that they are both using the underlying jet database, and this is the thing which is most likely producing the error not the GUI.  But if you have the time, it might be worth a try.

• Text Extractors - if nothing else you may be able to extract the text of the database entries from a corrupt MDB file.

Please note: Honestly the commercial software and services is the route you will sometimes have to take to recover your data. Generally, it's a lot easier to find free programs for file repair for non-Microsoft products than Microsoft ones.  You can explore them by following the links to the left. 

On those occasions that you try the freeware and it doesn't work, the software in these pages will appear not be worth the time and effort you put in and this can be frustrating. I try to point out at the top of each page, what I see is the likelihood that and difficulty with which freeware can recover your data.

The Google Adsense Ads displayed on the pages should lead you to the standard commercial software and services available for the problem you are having. You can also try the commercial links by clicking on the Navigation Bar by the file type name on the left. It's also here.

To see if the program works before buying, always be sure to try the demos of commercial software first. Also the difference in prices for software that does the same thing, for instance recovering PowerPoint Presentations, can be a large range like with PowerPoint case $50 - 299. If possible, try several software solutions before buying.  For services, be sure there is a no data, no fee guarantee, and a recovered file preview available.

If you need help, I charge $22 per incident. You can E-mail me at socrtwo@s2ervces.com, but because of finances and legalities, only use free methods.