How to fix ArcGIS .gdb / .shp files with errors?

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07-20-2018 08:49 AM
SteveAdkins
New Contributor

Greetings, suffered the following errors ("below") after MS Access tried to open two database files prior to ArcMap, due to my error.

Since I closed out MS Access & shut the application, when now trying to add data into ArcMAP 10.5, both database files post: "Error: Failed to connect to database. An underlying database error occurred. The Microsoft Jet database engine stopped the process because you and another user are attempting to change the data at the same time."

So tried to go back to MS Access and do a DB repair, no chance. Received this error:

"The Microsoft Access database engine has stopped the process because you and another user are attempting to change the data at the same time"

Is there a fix / repair  for this 668 meg DB, as the data is very important?

Thanks 

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5 Replies
JoeBorgione
MVP Emeritus

Is this on a backed up network drive or on your local 'C:' drive?  If the former, I'd say sweet talk your IS guys and have them restore it from before the oops.  If the latter.... (uggh...)

That should just about do it....
JonathanFarmer_oldaccount
Occasional Contributor III

Hi Steve,

This isn't what you want to hear but, in my experience, there isn't a way around this error other than to restore from a backup. From looking at past Support cases we've had with this issue, all of our users have had to work from a backup when this has happened.

I'm going to second what Joe said and see if your IT group can find a backup for you to work from.

Jonathan

SteveAdkins
New Contributor

Greetings,

Yup we have just found that out. My son who is a real IT guru spent Saturday on this, tried a number of tools to get the data out and it’s all over.

What is infuriating is precisely why this happened?

The file is big, nearly 700 megs and I inadvertently opened the folder with MS Access, then the trouble started.

Ho humm live and learn.

Many thanks for your response.

Rgds Steve

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JonathanFarmer_oldaccount
Occasional Contributor III

Hi Steve,

I don't have an exact answer as to why opening a Personal geodatabase in Microsoft Access corrupts the geodatabase. We document it as a possibility in our documentation but don't provide a detailed answer on why. 

Understanding how to use Microsoft Access files in ArcGIS—Help | ArcGIS Desktop 

However, from the Enterprise geodatabase world (of which I am more familiar), we see the same kinds of things happen when people make changes to our system tables from the database side. I've seen folks delete system tables, modify them in different ways, etc. and it all ends in having to restore from a backup. The interconnected nature of all of those tables means that modifying them in any way wreaks havoc on the whole setup.

While we certainly still support Personal geodatabases in ArcGIS Desktop, I tend to recommend to folks to either move to a file geodatabase setup or a Desktop geodatabase setup (using SQL Express) to avoid these kinds of things. Just a thought as you move forward.

Jonathan

SteveAdkins
New Contributor

Greetings,

Shame I did not read the article before the crisis.

A savage lesson learnt!

Thanks again.

Rgds Steve

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