MS Access error on contacts database

[CraigB940]

I am receiving an error when opening the "Contacts" template database

[#2]

What error? How you gain that template? From web or from MS-Access template library?

[#3]

Hi there it is a template database.

[#4]

@CraigB940 

We know what the Contacts template is, along with the many other templates Microsoft offers.

What you failed to include is any details about the error you apparently encountered.

Perhaps you could gain some insight by reading this blog post about how to get answers in online forums.

[#5]

I'm quite sure the templates are the same regardless of the source. There may be, I imagine, different problems with the process of downloading the templates from different sources.

[#6]

@George_Hepworth Hi George. Thanks for the info. I cannot paste the error. However, I have emailed it to you. I have never used Access. This is the first time I am using it as a database. I simply click on the "contacts" template database. And out pops the error. Indicating that the template database "could not be installed". If I create a new database. It works. However, I don't have time to learn Access and therefore need to use the template database. I have been chatting to MS Technicians and they have attempted to use updates and the like to fix the error. However unsuccessfully. The technician then pointed in the direction of this forum. Please could you assist? Thank you.

[#7]

I'm afraid you'll be disappointed if you try to get by with a template. They are, after all, just that, templates, and therefore too generic to be more than a starting point for developing a relational database application suited to your needs.

That said, it occurs to me that the problem could be related to security or permissions. Try running Access as an Administrator, then try to install the templates.

[#8]

Thanks George. Logged in as admin and no luck. I think I need to learn how to create the tables and work from there. Thank you for your advice!!!

[#9]

@CraigB940 

I wasn't referring to an admin Windows account. 

You can start Access this way. Is this how you tried to install the template?

Another thought, belated unfortunately, is that you might also need to be sure the template is being installed in a Trusted Location on your computer.

[#10]

Thank you George. Unfortunately running Access as an admin didn't work. I'm not particularly looking to run a relational database right now. That can come at a later stage. It's more for data capture and at best notes for now. I was hoping to obtain some format with regards to basic info etc. This is so frustrating. Very weird to have purchased a Microsoft product that at the get go delivers errors. Never see this in my life before. And i can't paste the error in this forum. Do you perhaps have an email addy that I can send the error to you please? Thank you!!!

[#11]

@CraigB940 

That's a puzzling problem. I've not seen an issue with templates before. The only similar problem I ever saw was in a large office where one computer had an old version of Windows on which we couldn't install a newer version of Access. I hope that's not this problem.

But here's another idea. I have installed the Contacts template and I can provide the accdb in a zip file. Perhaps that will work for you. (Sorry I didn't think about that sooner.) 

[#12]

Ah George your a star. It worked!!!!! Thank you ever so much!!!!!

[#13]

@CraigB940 

Well, thank you, but you notice it only occurred to me after a couple of days. 

A lot of experienced Access developers are not really fans of the MS templates because they often include some less than professional aspects, such as naming conventions that ignore best practices (e.g. spaces in table and field names, or special characters in field names). 

Once you've worked with this for a while, you'll probably have a list of items you'd do differently for your own purposes, so keep in mind that a "template" really is just a starting point.

Good luck.

[#14]

Thank you George!